TOKYO — Sometimes the best part of even a good trip is going home.
“Absolutely I am (ready to go home),” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said Wednesday night, speaking for most of his teammates as they packed up in a cramped visitors clubhouse at the Tokyo Dome and prepared for the long flight back to Los Angeles.
“This was an unbelievable, one-of-a-kind trip and experience. Everything about it has been super fun. It’s been super cool. But I didn’t have my wife and the kids here with me so I’m ready to see them. … That’s not taking anything away from anything on this trip. It’s been really cool, really amazing. Everything about it has been fun. The stadium is amazing. The crowds were amazing. Everything about it was cool. But I’m ready to go home.”
It had certainly been awhile for baseball’s global ambassadors.
Most of the Dodgers’ roster reported to spring training early, many arriving right after DodgerFest on Feb. 1. Five-and-a-half weeks later, they left from Arizona for Japan, spending an active and activity-filled week in Tokyo that had little in common with the typical road trips that are a way of life during the 162-game regular season.
“Yeah. I’ve had a great time,” catcher Will Smith said. “But, yeah, ready to get home and see my kid.”
Even Shohei Ohtani seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after Wednesday’s game ended a week in which he received a national hero’s welcome and played ambassador for his teammates.
“I’m happy that my teammates got to experience Japan on and off the field,” he said on the field after Wednesday’s game. “But most importantly, coming away with two wins is something really huge for us. I’m glad we’re going to head back to the U.S. on a good note.”
It’s a far cry from the Dodgers’ less-than-triumphant return from South Korea a year ago. They were loaded down with baggage on the way back from Seoul, the scandal involving Ohtani’s former interpreter having broken as they split the two games with the San Diego Padres.
They were lighter as they landed back in California this time, having thoroughly dominated the Chicago Cubs in sweeping the Tokyo Series – despite playing without All-Stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
“We just played two games without two star players,” Muncy said. “We get told that Mookie’s not going to be able to go, he’s not going to be here, he’s going to fly back home. Then we get told right before the (first) game that Freddie can’t play.
“Man, here’s two gut punches before the season even starts. ‘Hang with ’em guys. The Cubs are a really good team. You’re facing two really good pitchers.’ I think guys kind of stepped up. As much of a gut punch as it was, a lot of us just said, ‘Alright, let’s go out and win a game.’ We know when we get back, we’ll have those two guys. But right now, we have to do it with who we have.”
The Dodgers have more than most – as was discussed throughout another winter spent in aggressive talent-acquisition mode.
The supporting cast did indeed step up in Tokyo. Kiké Hernandez and Tommy Edman combined to drive in half of their 10 runs in the sweep. Seven different players had at least one extra-base hit and seven scored at least one run. The pitching held the Cubs to four runs, a .172 batting average, struck out 21 in 18 innings and didn’t allow a home run in the two games.
And Ohtani did his star turn, going 3 for 10 with a double, a home run and three runs scored as a nation hung on his every move.
“We checked every box. To go home 2-0 is great,” outfielder Michael Conforto said.
“It’s good to start off on this note. That’s kind of the expectation here. … I think it was just kind of a confirmation of what we have. With Mookie being out and Freddie being out, the guys stepped up. The pitching being strong, defense being strong, the bullpen being really strong – really any of those guys we can lean on. We just did a lot of little things right.”
That was true off the field as well where players pointed to the unique nature of the Tokyo trip creating the same kind of bonding experience as the Seoul trip a year ago.
“It allowed us to bond as a team at an early stage in the season,” Hernandez said, pointing to the elaborate team dinner staged by Ohtani in partnership with Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as particularly beneficial. “If we weren’t here with Sho, Roki and Yoshi, we probably wouldn’t have that opportunity to share those couple hours as teammates and start building that camaraderie. So definitely a great experience and something that’s going to pay off in the long run for us.”