SEOUL, South Korea — Police in South Korea have been investigating a bomb menace on Wednesday in opposition to baseball star Shohei Ohtani, who’s in Seoul for Main League Baseball’s first regular-season video games within the nation.
They have been alerted by the South Korean Consulate in Vancouver, which acquired an electronic mail written in English threatening to bomb the 18,000-seat Gocheok Sky Dome within the South Korean capital, the place Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers are taking part in the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers’ journey to Asia has drawn legions of followers, with Ohtani the headline act.
After looking out with sniffer canines, X-ray detectors and different gear, police mentioned no signal of a bomb had been discovered and that they have been offering further safety on the season opener on Wednesday, which is reportedly bought out.
Police mentioned the menace bore similarities to earlier ones that originated in Japan, and that they have been monitoring down the sender of the e-mail.
The menace seemingly did little to discourage followers, who traveled from different elements of South Korea, america and elsewhere for the two-game “Seoul Collection” between the Dodgers and Padres to open the season.
“I’ve no worries as our nation has very strict safety,” Kim Myeong-seo, a 33-year-old Dodgers fan from Daegu, South Korea, informed Reuters. “It was very tough to get a ticket … I’m simply so excited and wish to go in as quickly as potential.”
Ohtani, 29, joined the Dodgers in December after signing a 10-year, $700-million contract that was the largest in baseball historical past.
The 2-time American League Most Beneficial Participant, who has been in comparison with Babe Ruth, is so widespread that South Korean followers have embraced him regardless of their nation’s historic rivalry together with his residence nation of Japan, greeting him and the Dodgers like rock stars after they arrived at Incheon Worldwide Airport exterior Seoul final week.
Ohtani, who is usually described in Japanese as “the proper individual,” informed reporters on Saturday that he has all the time revered South Korean baseball gamers and mentioned South Korea was “one in all my favourite international locations.”
However Ohtani will not be the one draw: Followers are additionally flocking to see his teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 25, who can be from Japan and who additionally joined the Dodgers in December, signing a 12-year contract value $325 million.
The Padres, in the meantime, introduced Ha-Seong Kim, 28, a shortstop born and raised exterior Seoul who beforehand performed at Gocheok Sky Dome with the Korea Baseball Group’s Kiwoom Heroes. Additionally they characteristic Japanese ace Yu Darvish.
The ceremonial first pitch on the sport on Wednesday was thrown by Chan Ho Park, 50, a former pitcher for the Dodgers, Padres and others who was the primary Korean-born participant in Main League Baseball.
“I do know our gamers are thrilled to place their skills on show in a rustic so wealthy with baseball custom and expertise, together with former Dodgers Chan Ho Park, Hee-Seop Choi and Hyun Jin Ryu,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten mentioned in a information launch asserting the Seoul video games final July.
Main League Baseball sees the potential for enormous market progress in Japan and South Korea, each international locations with their very own nationwide groups {and professional} leagues in addition to extremely enthusiastic followers whose loud and spirited habits at video games could be a type of leisure in itself.
Stella Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea, and Andee Capellan reported from Hong Kong.