The Japanese slugger was introduced before each at-bat to loud roars that continued until a few seconds before the pitch, when the crowd went into a silent trance that’s normally reserved for events like Wimbledon or the Masters.

Sota Fujimori is the luckiest 10-year-old in Japan. Sitting in right-center field on Wednesday night at the Tokyo Dome, he watched Shohei Ohtani’s home run in the fifth inning fall off the hands of another fan nearby — and back onto the field.

Major League Baseball has had no shortage of stars, but it has never seen a sensation like Ohtani, who is Japan’s answer to Babe Ruth.