Shohei Ohtani hit a towering solo homer in his return to Japan, taking Chicago Cubs pitcher Nate Pearson deep with a ball that barely cleared the fence in right-center field and helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3 to sweep the two-game series in Tokyo.

TOKYO -- The expectations for Shohei Ohtani's first trip to Japan as a major league player were massive and unyielding. He is a near-mythic figure in his home country, and his presence there this week felt as much like a royal visit as it did a guy coming into town to play some baseball.

Major League Baseball has had no shortage of stars, but it has never seen a sensation like Ohtani, who is Japan’s answer to Babe Ruth.