Ohtani fever hits South Korea as Dodgers light up Seoul

Seoul: Japan s Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was the undisputed main attraction Monday as South Korean fans savoured the chance to watch...

Seoul: Japan's Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was the undisputed main attraction Monday as South Korean fans savoured the chance to watch baseball royalty in their own backyard.

Ohtani and the Dodgers are in Seoul this week to play the San Diego Padres in two games as Major League Baseball opens its season in South Korea for the first time.

Ohtani will make his Dodgers regular-season debut after joining the team in December on a 10-year deal worth $700 million -- the richest contract in North American sporting history.

The 29-year-old attracted even more global attention when he announced last month that he had gotten married.

Fans wearing white and blue shirts bearing Ohtani's name and number 17 packed Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome as the Dodgers played South Korea's national team in a warm-up to prepare for the Padres.