The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Jersey Is The Hottest Merchandise At A Japanese Sports Store

The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Jersey Is The Hottest Merchandise At A Japanese Sports Store

When Shohei Ohtani takes the field, he wears No.japan ohtani jersey 17 for the Los Angeles Angels. But when he suits up for Team Japan, the 29-year-old dual threat bats and pitches wearing No. 16. The change in number is the latest sign that baseball’s global superstar has become a revered figure in his homeland of Japan, where fans are buying everything they can find to show their love for the pitcher-hitter.

A traditional white jersey featuring a "Dodgers" in script across the front costs 77,000 yen -- about $510.japan ohtani jersey A cap with the same logo and a script "D" above the bill sells for a similar price. A player-used baseball fetches 3.3 million yen, or about $22,000.

Those are just the most expensive items at Selection, a sports store in Tokyo that boasts having Japan's largest array of MLB gear for all 30 teams, and the 12 Japanese pro teams, too.japan ohtani jersey The shop has been transformed in the months since Ohtani made a surprise move from the Los Angeles Angels to the Dodgers and sparked a wave of blue mania.

The store resembles a shrine to the two-way star, with posters and memorabilia of the man who many call “Sho-time” emblazoned on myriad items.japan ohtani jersey The place also offers a plethora of merchandise aimed at keeping the excitement alive. A shirt with Ohtani's dog, a Japanese breed called Dekopin, is a big seller. So are T-shirts that read "Showtime" and shirts with his No. 17.

Taiwanese Torben Lin offered a contrarian view.japan ohtani jersey In town shopping, he eyed a Masataka Yoshida jersey, the outfielder who wears No. 7 for the Boston Red Sox, and bypassed the Ohtani gear intentionally.

Store manager Hayato Daido estimated that 60 percent of sales are related to Dodgers and Ohtani specific t-shirts, jerseys, key chains and the like. Assistant store manager Takato Suzuki suggested it might be as high as 70 percent.

He added that Ohtani-related sales are "four or five times" more than they were prior to the Dodgers announcing in December they'd signed him to a $325 million, 12-year US contract that is the highest in money and longest in duration for any pitcher.

That's not to suggest that fans of other MLB teams aren't interested in showing their support for the phenom. But they're largely in the minority. And it's hard to deny that the excitement over Ohtani is creating a whole new audience for the sport. The adoration he's creating extends beyond the boundaries of the baseball world, where even non-fans are embracing the phenomenon of the game's only true slugger-pitcher superstar. And that's good news for the industry and its fans. Especially in a year when the industry is looking for some fences to mend after a dispiriting season.