...
By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
It's not often that a moment from a 13-0 baseball game can captivate a global stage, but it's a lot easier to believe when the most active participants are Bad Bunny and Shohei Ohtani.
The Puerto Rican recording artist, known better by his stage name than his full name of Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, took in Team Japan's World Baseball Classic opener at the Tokyo Dome on Friday against Team Chinese Taipei. And like many in attendance, his attention appeared to be captivated by Ohtani.
After Ohtani electrified the crowd with a grand slam in the second inning, he got close to achieving an even more impressive baseball feat. He already had a double in the first inning, so following a single in his next at-bats, he had a chance to go for the cycle in the top of the fourth inning.
Read More on MLB
...
A triple is the hardest part of the cycle to come by, but Ohtani came within a couple of feet. He hit a line drive into the glove of first baseman Nien-Ting Wu, which could have nestled into the right field corner if it had a little more height.
FS1's cameras captured Bad Bunny standing with his arms crossed after the play, with a rueful smile of disappointment, before clapping his hands.
Bad Bunny's fingerprints have been all over the WBC already. He reportedly offered to pay the insurance costs to get major league stars Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa on Team Puerto Rico. He also gifted everyone on the Puerto Rican team a pair of his newly released signature Adidas shoes, custom-built into baseball cleats with an exclusive Team PR colorway.
As if the star power in the Tokyo Dome wasn't already high enough, Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet was in attendance, too. And even if they couldn't see an Ohtani cycle, a grand slam in his home country had to be a worthwhile experience.
More MLB: What Jeremy Peña Injury Twist Means for Dominican Republic, Astros
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines