Baseball mania reached fever pitch in Japan on Friday with public appearances of national hero Shohei Ohtani and other Japanese players set to take part in MLB season-opening games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

Fans pay 2,000 yen each to see players work out at Tokyo Dome before next week’s season-opening matches against Chicago Cubs.

With the Tokyo Series just a few days away, fans in Japan were eager to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs' stars warm up and take batting practice.

The anticipated Tokyo Series between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers will feature plenty of fanfare in Japan, where baseball is a lifeblood.

The Cubs work out on the field and get ready for their upcoming Tokyo Series matchups. Chicago Cubs; Tokyo Series

Ahead of the Tokyo Series between the teams, Topps launched an interactive trading-card experience to celebrate Japan’s baseball icons.

The spotlight will be on slugger Shohei Ohtani this week when the superstar returns to Japan and leads the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs in the first two games of the Major League Baseball season at the Tokyo Dome.

The spotlight will be on slugger Shohei Ohtani this week when the superstar returns to Japan and leads the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the