Dodgers News: Japanese Stars honored with manhole covers… because of course
LOS ANGELES — Leave it to the inscrutable Japanese to turn something as mundane as a sewer cover into a tribute to baseball greatness—and yes, Shohei Ohtani is involved.
In one of the most delightfully bizarre and uniquely Japanese tributes we’ve seen, Major League Baseball is honoring its 12 active Japanese players with custom-designed manhole covers installed in cities across Japan. Each steel masterpiece will celebrate a player’s journey to the big leagues, complete with original artwork, hometown significance, and (because it’s 2025) interactive AR experiences you can unlock with your phone.
Three of these honorees wear Dodger blue: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and the latest addition to the rotation, Roki Sasaki. That’s right—Dodgers fans now dominate both the NL West and the sewer scene.
Ohtani Gets His Own Manhole (and No, It’s Not a Metaphor)
The campaign kicks off June 16 in Iwate Prefecture, with none other than Dodgers two-way unicorn Shohei Ohtani getting the first honor in Oshu City. If you’re wondering why that location matters: it’s where Ohtani honed his craft before breaking every imaginable barrier in both NPB and MLB. Now, in fittingly surreal fashion, his legacy will be immortalized where thousands of townspeople can literally walk all over him every day.
The manhole won’t just be eye candy—it will also have an AR component. Yep, if you’re standing over Ohtani’s manhole (which is a sentence we never expected to write), you can scan it with your phone to unlock a short augmented reality movie about him. Expect a cinematic mini-experience: part highlight reel, part hero’s journey, all very Shohei.
Roki Sasaki: Welcome to the Dodgers—and to Rikuzentakata’s Streets
Also launching June 16, just down the road in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, is a tribute to the Dodgers’ latest weapon: Roki Sasaki. Known in Japan as “The Monster of the Reiwa Era,” Sasaki joined the Dodgers this season and is already turning heads with his triple-digit fastball and icy mound presence. His manhole is expected to reflect his stoic intensity and meteoric rise through the NPB ranks. If you’re wondering how fast a manhole can look, Sasaki’s might break the limit.
Next Up: Yamamoto, Dodgers’ New Ace of the Sewer Circuit
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the prized offseason signing who’s already making waves in Dodger blue, will be honored later this month on June 25 in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture. This installation promises to capture the precision, power, and quiet fire that made Yamamoto a legend in Japan before even throwing a pitch in the majors.
We can only hope Yamamoto’s manhole design includes at least one nod to his signature splitter or perhaps a tiny Dodger cap in the corner. Bonus points if it glows blue under moonlight.
More Dodgers, More Manholes? Let’s Not Rule It Out
Sasaki, Ohtani, and Yamamoto are not the only Dodgers getting the manhole treatment this year, this project could pave the way (pun fully intended) for future installments. Kenta Maeda, formerly a staple in L.A.’s rotation and now attempting a comeback with the Cubs, will also be honored in Osaka Prefecture on June 20. No word yet on if there will be collector’s maps or if fans will start trading photos of manhole covers like Pokémon cards, but don’t be surprised. The full schedule of the rollout looks like this:
Installation Schedule
- June 16 – Shohei Ohtani (LAD): Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture
- June 16 – Yusei Kikuchi (LAA): Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
- June 16 – Roki Sasaki (LAD) : Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture
- June 17 – Yu Darvish (SDP): Habikino City, Osaka Prefecture
- June 18 – Yuki Matsui (SDP): Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture
- June 19 – Shota Imanaga (CHC): Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture
- June 20 – Kenta Maeda (CHC-minors): Senboku District, Osaka Prefecture
- June 23 – Lars Nootbaar (STL): Higashimatsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture
- June 24 – Seiya Suzuki (CHC): Arakawa Ward, Tokyo
- June 25 – Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD): Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture
- June 26 – Masataka Yoshida (BOS): Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture
- June 27 – Kodai Senga (NYM): Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture
- June 28 – Shinnosuke Ogasawara (WAS-minors): Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture
- June 29 – Tomoyuki Sugano (BAL): Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture
A Celebration That’s So Japan, It’s Perfect
This campaign blends Japan’s flair for the imaginative with its deep-rooted respect for community and storytelling. Japan has a long-standing tradition of customizing manhole covers to honor local history, pop culture, and civic pride. Naturally, when it came time to celebrate its baseball legends, the manhole was the medium of choice.
The MLB-Japan Airlines collaboration promises additional surprises for in-person visitors, details of which will roll out alongside the Ohtani unveiling. For now, you can keep up with updates on MLB Japan’s official Instagram account: @mlbjapan.
So if you’re heading to Japan this summer and happen to be near Oshu or Bizen, be sure to look down. You just might find Shohei Ohtani smiling back at you—from underground.
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