A's get a taste of Tokyo's unique brand of fanfare

TOKYO - It was only an exhibition game, but the atmosphere inside the Tokyo Dome made the first matchup between the A’s and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters feel like something much more special.

Everything about the pregame batting practice in the A’s 5-1 victory over the Fighters on Sunday seemed like an important game. The Japanese fans arrived early and marveled at the show put on by A’s sluggers Khris Davis and Matt Olson. They both took turns peppering the several ads that surround the deepest corners of the stadium well above the bleachers.

“It’s a carnival atmosphere,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “There’s a lot going on that’s different from the states. It’s one of the things our guys were looking forward to and it lived up to the billing.”

A’s legend Rickey Henderson was in the house and got the Elvis treatment as he snuck away from his pregame interviews for a stroll down the right-field line where he signed autographs and was mobbed by fans chanting his name who were hoping to just lay a finger on the Hall of Famer.

Once the actual game began, it was as if the A’s just picked up right where they left off from their 97-win 2018 season.

Robbie Grossman got it started with a bang as he led off with a triple off the wall in right-center and later scored on a Khris Davis groundout that gave the A’s a lead they never relinquished.

The A’s bullpen was lights-out in what was an all-reliever game that started with opener Liam Hendriks on the mound. Hendriks along with seven other pitchers were sharp as they combined for 11 strikeouts and no walks over nine innings.

“We finished the season last year the same way,” Hendriks said, referring to the A’s opener strategy in the wild-card game loss to the New York Yankees. “Unfortunately that didn’t work out as well as it did today.”

The A’s demonstrated what they are all about. But the fans of the Fighters also put on a show of their own.

A large contingent of fans took over the left-field bleachers inside the Tokyo Dome and provided nonstop entertainment. Flag-waving fans decked out in orange and blue, the colors of the team, banged drums for each Fighters player who took the field to begin the game.

“I loved it out there,” Hendriks said. “The constant cheering and constant sound was really cool. There’s no lull moments. It’s go, go, go all the time.”

When it was their turn to bat, Fighters fans would chant the name of each player that came up to bat before breaking out a unique song for each player that lasted throughout each entire at-bat. The enthusiasm never wavered. These fans stuck around until Frankie Montas induced a groundout to third against Shinya Tsuroaka to finish off the game.

The right-field bleachers were a bit more empty but featured a smaller group of Japanese A’s fans who did their best to compete with the rival fans. Equipped with blowhorns, the A’s side often belted “Let’s Go Oakland!” chants and slow “ball four” chants every time a Fighters pitcher reached a three-ball count to an A’s batter.

“I thought it was pretty similar to home because of the drums in the outfield,” Davis said. “That beating drum reminded me of Oakland.”

It was not a sellout like the previous game that took place earlier in the day which featured Ichiro-mania in a game between the Seattle Mariners and Yomiuri Giants. But the 26,198 fans who showed up for the nightcap kept the game lively throughout the night.

Stars get the bats going

After a shortened slate of spring training games for Davis and Matt Chapman, the A’s were encouraged by the way both swung the bat in Sunday’s first exhibition game.

Chapman picked up three hits, belting a triple off the right-field wall in the eighth and getting on base a total of five times.

“You know that some guys have slow springs early on and then when it gets close to the bell ringing, the at-bats get better,” Melvin said. “That lends to some confidence when you are heading into the season.”

Davis had two hits, blasting a near-home run that bounced off the top of the right-field wall in the third for an RBI double.

Know the opponent

The Fighters are now based out of Sapporo, about a three-hour plane ride from Tokyo, but they previously called the Tokyo Dome home from 1988-2003. The Giants are the far more popular team in the area, but these two exhibition games allow some now misplaced Fighters fans to see their team without having to travel too far.

The Fighters also have been known to develop some impressive major league talent over the years. Most recently they’ve exported Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani to the big leagues, and they may have the next big Japanese star ready to make the jump.

Next Japanese superstar?

A left-handed hitting 19-year-old Fighters infielder named Kotaro Kiyomiya has very high expectations. He set the unofficial high school baseball record for home runs in Japan with 111 before turning pro. Kiyomiya is out for the exhibition games with a wrist injury, but he’s a player who already has been drawing attention from several MLB clubs.

“You’ll be seeing him in the United States very soon,” said one play-by-play announcer for the Fighters. “He is very good.”