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TOKYO — The spotlight will be on slugger Shohei Ohtani this week when the superstar returns to Japan and leads the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs in the first two games of the Major League Baseball season at the Tokyo Dome. But he won't be the only one playing in front of his home country. Four other Japanese players — LA's Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, along with Chicago's Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga — will be on the field in a display of how deep the talent pool is in the country.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) throws during the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, March. 4, 2025, in Phoenix. - AP Photo/Darryl Webb