If MLB can get Japan to follow all its teams, “We do believe there are payoffs in the B’s: billions,” commissioner Rob Manfred said.

But the Japanese players who were playing in front of their home country at the Tokyo Dome on Tuesday handled any jitters they had quite well, delivering in clutch moments as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-1, in Major League Baseball’s season opener.

Baseball fever swept through Tokyo on Tuesday as the MLB season got underway, offering fans a rare opportunity to glimpse homegrown star Shohei Ohtani in action.