KANSAS CITY -- Japanese two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani grew up in the rural town of Oshu, in the northern prefecture of Iwate, a region that becomes blanketed with snow during the winter. He played his first five professional seasons with the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island that's also renowned for its snow country.
Chilly conditions are nothing new for Ohtani. Pitching in them might be.
This is about an anniversary that really should be a national holiday, not just a big and important day honored by baseball every year.
This is about the 71st anniversary of the day when Jackie Robinson first ran out to first base at Ebbets Field and did not just change baseball forever and make it better forever, but made America better.