The championship trophy won by Japan at the World Baseball Classic went on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward on Friday, with fans lining up more than one hour before the facility opened to view the coveted prize.
"It felt sacred," said Yuki Hikage, a 24-year-old university student from Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture. "I could see the fingerprints on it, and it sunk in that this was what Shohei Ohtani and the others held aloft."
Along with the trophy, the winning balls from all seven of Japan's victories in the tournament are also on display through Tuesday.
Japan defeated the United States 3-2 in the final in Miami to win the WBC for the third time and first since 2009.
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