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TOKYO (AP) – Lars Nootbaar’s pepper-grinder gesture is catching on all over Japan, not just at the Tokyo Dome.
You see people doing it on the trains, across the table ordering a coffee and of course among the 40,000 fans who have packed the Tokyo Dome to watch Japan play the Baseball Classic.
“The fans have put themselves through that. It’s been very good,” Nootbaar said Wednesday. “I heard chili peppers around the country, their sales have gone up a little bit in the last week.”
Nootbaar should ask for a commission, or an approval. After Shohei Ohtani, he has become Japan’s No. 2 attraction.
“It’s been great,” said the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder, who grew up in California. “The fans have embraced me. The team has embraced me, which is great for me to be able to be myself and just go about my normal day with these guys. They have been fantastic. I really didn’t expect it to turn out this way.”
Nootbaar said he is ready to come back and play again, whenever the next World Baseball Classic is.
“I hope that at some point I can come back and play in front of these fans, hopefully in three years or whatever it is,” Nootbar said. “It was a great experience.”
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Follow Japan-based AP sports writer Stephen Wade on Twitter http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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