Months After WBC Glory, Cardinals Star Credits Shohei Ohtani and Experienced Japanese Ace for Unconditional Support During Dominant Run

In the world of MLB sometimes folks of opposing teams turn up as family. Such is the story of the St. Louis Cardinals’ outfielder. As a US-born member he has rightly served the Major Leagues while on the international stage, he represented the country his roots emerged from. Japan. 

Yes, in the World Baseball Classic, he went on to represent Japan early in 2023 to emerge victorious. While he saw himself as an outsider, the two Japanese stars backed him up. Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish both of whom were hospitable toward ‘Ta-chan’, he said, “they accepted me right away”.

How Did This Japanese Ace Get Through The WBC Without Feeling Like An Outcast?

In a recent clip that @shoheisaveus posted on Twitter, Lars Nootbar was seen speaking at length about what an amazing person ‘Sho-time’ is. He also mentioned how Ohtani, coupled with Darvish, another fellow WBC player, embraced Nootbaar’s presence. His words of praise were, “Him You know and Darvish were really the two guys who really helped me because you know they accepted me right away and they wanted to make sure that, you know, I don’t feel like you know like an outcast like I said. So I really owe a lot to those two“. With that said, Nootbaar is a one-of-a-kind player in his own right. 

Japan’s World Baseball Classic teams frequently feature elite domestic players. In actuality, the Samurai have never fielded a player who was not born in Japan on their tournament roster until the 2023 edition came out. With this year’s WBC, it changed when Japan needed Lars Nootbaar’s assistance to win. Lucky for him, he got a chance to play alongside one of the biggest stars of this generation, Los Angeles Angels’ very own, two-way phenom. 

Furthermore, in the video, he went on a praise spree about Ohtani commending what he does on the field. He addressed the 29-year-old as the “best player on the planet”. Furthermore, with the experience of watching him play as a teammate, Lars is “convinced that there has never been anything like that before and that there may never be”. While there is no doubt that the three Japanese players were advantageous for Team Japan in the WBC, one question remains. Why is an American playing for Japan? 

How Did Lars Nootbaar End Up Playing For Japan?

Well, it’s all about what the guidebook of World Baseball Classic approved and disapproved. As per their terms, Nootbaar does have a Japanese lineage on his maternal side. Owing to that heritage he qualifies as an eligible member for Japanese representation despite being a Californian by birth. Now that calls for some backstory. 

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Nootbaar’s mother, Kumi Enokida who was a Japanese-born grew up there. She met Nootbar’s father, Charlie, while attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she was studying as part of a collegiate exchange program. Lars admits that every time he discloses his heritage, he raises some eyebrows indicating surprise.

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