LA Dodgers players reacted humorously at a ceremonial first pitch in South Korea on Sunday when actress Jeon Jong-seo took the mound and apparently caught their attention.
The Dodgers are currently playing exhibition games in Asia ahead of their regular season games against the Padres on March 20-21 in Seoul.
And ahead of their practice match against the Kiwoom Heroes on Sunday, LA players were captivated by Jong-seo as they chatted in the dugout.
Pitcher Ryan Brasier appeared to point at Jong-seo, while star man Freddie Freeman also looked on.
Pitcher Tyler Glasnow also smiled after Jong-seo made her first pitch.
South Korean actress Jeon Jong-Seo threw out the first pitch before the Dodgers’ game on Sunday
And pitcher Tyler Glasnow seemed fascinated by the acre’s mound performance
Slugger Freddie Freeman also watched as the actress climbed the hill in Korea
The Dodgers would win the game 14-3.
The team has received a lot of attention since signing two-time star Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract last offseason.
The Dodgers star shocked the world when he announced last month that he was married, and last week he revealed that his wife was Mamiko Tanaka, a former professional basketball player.
Ohtani said the upcoming season opener against the Padres in Seoul will provide “great memories” for him and his wife, as she will be there to watch him, but he is trying to focus on baseball.
‘I think they will be very fond memories for both of us. But like I said before, I have one job to focus on. It’s baseball,” Otani said through an interpreter after landing in Seoul.
In late February, 29-year-old Ohtani said on Instagram that he had married “a normal Japanese woman” whom he had known for three to four years.
Shohei Ohtani revealed last week that his wife was former professional basketball player Mamiko Tanaka
Tanaka has been seen in the stands cheering on Ohtani while the Dodgers played in Korea
The star said, “I appreciate all the attention” he has received, but wants to focus on baseball
Tanaka, 27, is a former professional basketball player who played for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League from 2019-23.
And Ohtani says he is aware of the intense international media attention for the games in Seoul.
‘I appreciate all the attention. Attention is of course always nice, being a baseball player and being able to play with these top players next to me. I’m very excited,” Ohtani said, referring to his two teammates who spoke at the press conference, Mookie Betts and Freeman.
“I’m really used to the attention, but I just try to focus on what’s in front of me, whatever it is.”
