[Exclusive] Photos from Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki’s “Top-Secret” Dinner with Munetaka Murakami in Chicago

Body language on the bench

Shohei Ohtani (31) of the Los Angeles Dodgers is thriving both professionally and personally, having announced the birth of his second child on June 20. We caught a glimpse of an unexpected interaction between him and Munetaka Murakami (26), who joined the Chicago White Sox this year, “off the field.”

“The Dodgers played a three-game series in Chicago, the White Sox’s home city, from June 13 to 15 (Japan time). The interaction between Ohtani and Murakami on the bench during that series became a hot topic,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

On the 13th, not only Murakami—who was on the injured list with a right hamstring injury—but also Ohtani started on the bench to monitor his left knee. TV cameras repeatedly captured Ohtani and Murakami using body language to communicate with each other from their respective benches.

“Ohtani, as if to say to Murakami, ‘You didn’t come over to say hello,’ took off his cap and bowed. In response, Murakami—perhaps teasing him about arriving late at the stadium for his knee exam—made a gesture pointing at his wristwatch.In response, Ohtani retaliated by making a gesture suggesting Murakami’s hair was ‘too long,’” said a source from a news program.

This exchange between the two was also

“heartwarming”

〈They’re more like comrades than rivals〉

“I could watch this back-and-forth forever”

and similar comments.

There was another “heartwarming” moment in Game 2 on the 14th.

Ohtani hit a leadoff home run in the first inning, but during his at-bat in the seventh, his hit landed in the White Sox dugout where Murakami was sitting. Murakami then laughed and flung his cap into the air with both hands, giving an exaggerated “I’m surprised!” reaction, and Ohtani, still at the plate, smiled back.

Four Japanese Major League players

In this three-game series, not only Ohtani but also Roki Sasaki (24) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (27) have taken the mound as starting pitchers.

“Sasaki started the first game of this series against the White Sox. He was in good form, throwing a fastball clocked at 100.7 mph (approx. 162.1 km/h)—his fastest of the season—in the first inning, but he ended up giving up seven runs and suffering his fourth loss of the season. Yamamoto took the mound for the second game on the 14th.He pitched exceptionally well—noting 45 consecutive outs since his previous start and coming within a hair’s breadth of a no-hitter—to secure his seventh win. In Chicago, Murakami’s home turf, the Dodgers’ Japanese trio really shone. That’s precisely why it was such a shame that Murakami couldn’t play due to injury,” said the sports newspaper reporter mentioned earlier.

The Dodgers’ Japanese trio shone at Murakami’s home field. After the game, the four of them—including Murakami—enjoyed a brief “celebration” in Chicago.

Although they were in the middle of a three-game series, the four—Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki, and Murakami—held a dinner party at a Japanese-owned restaurant in Chicago. It seems they thoroughly enjoyed a variety of dishes they were accustomed to eating in Japan, even while in the United States.

“The restaurant where the four held their gathering is quite famous among the local Japanese community. Many of the regulars are Major League players and other athletes.I believe Mr. Ohtani has actually been there before. That said, he’s known for rarely going out to eat with other players. The fact that he took Yamamoto and Sasaki out to dinner during the season shows just how much he cares for Murakami and respects him as a player,” said a local sports writer.

Ohtani and Murakami are deepening their friendship both on and off the field. Perhaps, as fellow genius hitters, there are things they can understand about each other—