The tussle between Ohtani and Kikuchi, who both played at Hanamaki Higashi High in the Iwate prefecture in Japan but were never teammates, had been anticipated by Japanese reporters for months. Ohtani was still on the injured list recovering from Tommy John surgery when Kikuchi first pitched in Anaheim in late April, so the buzz at Angel Stadium was subdued. Nearly a month and a half later, the Angels found themselves issuing about 80 credentials to Japanese media members, double the average.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 09, 2019 05:47 UTC