Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers), who sparked controversy with his derogatory remarks about Korea, will he shake off his left rib pain and appear in the second game of the Tokyo Series?

The Dodgers headed to Japan to face the Chicago Cubs after playing their last exhibition game against the Cleveland Guardians on the 12th (Korean time). The Dodgers, who played the Seoul Series against the San Diego Padres at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul last year, will clash with the Cubs at the Tokyo Dome on the 18th and 19th.

"World star" Shohei Ohtani, along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, is part of the Dodgers. The Cubs also have two Japanese players, Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imagawa. This is also the reason why the Tokyo Series between the Dodgers and Cubs has been realized.

Freeman, who participated in the Seoul Series last March, stated upon entering Tokyo, "Our team has Ohtani, Takahashi, and Sasaki. The Cubs have Imagawa and Suzuki. There are many Japanese players, so I am 10 times more excited than in Korea. It would be great if we could just get two wins."

He added, "It was very enthusiastic even when I got off the plane and passed through the airport in Korea. I can’t even imagine what it feels like to land in Tokyo."

While Freeman may have intended to express that he would receive explosive attention since he was visiting the hometown of the major league's best star, Ohtani, his comments were not well received by Korean fans. There were also criticisms that he was belittling the Seoul Series last year.

Freeman missed the first game against the Cubs on the 18th at the Tokyo Dome. According to a report from "Dodgers Nation," he felt pain in his left rib and was unable to participate in the game.

He said, "I felt pain in my left rib during batting practice. I felt discomfort in the area I injured during last year's postseason, but the pain is less than that time."

The Dodgers defeated the Cubs 4-1 on the 18th. Starting pitcher Yamamoto recorded 5 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, and 1 earned run to become the winning pitcher. Leading off, Ohtani had 2 hits and 2 runs in 5 at-bats, achieving the only multi-hit performance among the team’s batters. Cubs starter Imagawa pitched 4 scoreless innings (4 walks, 2 strikeouts) but lost the game.

Freeman remained on the bench throughout the first game. His current condition is quite good. He stated, "There is a 75% chance that I will participate in the second game." Meanwhile, the Dodgers will start Roki Sasaki on the 19th, while the Cubs will send Justin Steele.

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