This is the Shohei Ohtani effect. Ohtani hit a grand slam in the second inning on Friday at the World Baseball Classic, pushing Japan to a quick 4-0 lead over Taiwan. He also doubled in his first at-bat in the first inning. That was the early game action. He also put on a giant show in batting practice hours before the game even started, thrilling many who had traveled from afar to see him. Lia Chan and her husband How and other family members flew in from Singapore — about a seven-hour flight to Tokyo — just to watch Ohtani play in the World Baseball Classic. "And baseball is not even popular...

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