Reports say Dodgers manager Dave Roberts won't rush Shohei Ohtani back to the mound this season, and a remark that Ohtani's demeanor changes between good and bad days went viral. Japanese reactions ranged from treating a slump as natural to tiring of the saint-like coverage.
Two cross-cultural threads ran at once: Japanese and Korean fans arguing over the stat lines of MLB sluggers Munetaka Murakami and Lee Jung-hoo, and a lighter debate over how the confectionery chain Chateraise—a coined Japanese-French name—sounds to native French speakers.
Shohei Ohtani stepped out of the lineup against the Orioles for the birth of his and Mamiko's second child. Japanese netizens cheered, but in characteristic 2ch fashion the celebration quickly turned into 'pass on those elite genes' self-deprecation, worry about the pressure a superstar's child will carry, and a wider lament that 'Japan's work culture would never allow' such leave. Note: outlets differed on whether the birth had occurred and whether he was on the official paternity list.
Japanese forums treated Munetaka Murakami's MLB home-run streak as proof that Japanese baseball is widening its lead in Asia. The facts support that he is producing at a high level, but some record claims and translated Korean reactions remain only partly verifiable.