The World Baseball Classic is over, with Japan emerging as an undefeated victor. All countries provided incredible performances but the East Asian country was particularly better than the rest in the WBC. A lot of players emerged as top talents as the tournament went on, with Shohei Ohtani leading the list. Names like Roki Sasaki And Munetaka Murakami weren’t far behind. One player that performed outstandingly well was Lars Nootbaar, but he caught the viewer’s attention for more than his skills.

In his time with the St. Louis Cardinals, Nootbaar gained attention for his pepper grinder move. It became even more popular during his time with the Japanese team in WBC. It was so endearing that his teammates started mimicking him and so did fans. In fact, someone in the stands once brought an actual pepper grinder to the game! Now, the action has caught the attention of even the Japanese government.

Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida mimics Lars Nootbaar’s pepper grinder

That’s right, even the PM did it! Talkin’ Baseball posted a clip on Twitter that showed Kishida-san making the gesture while sitting with other officials. The camera panned out to two big rows of men in suits making the pepper grinder with their hands.

But what’s the story behind the move anyway? The 25-year-old started doing it to encourage his teammates to grind out a few more runs or a few more hits. What started as a gesture of inspiration has caught on with fans as a gesture that reminds them of baseball.

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Nootbaar has Japanese ancestry but is USA-born. So one fan thought he may even bring world peace!

But some Mets fans showed up to set everyone’s facts straight because Nootbaar is actually not the one that started this trend.

Todd Frazier did it first

When Frazier, now retired, signed with the Mets in 2018, the team also celebrated with their own salt and pepper gesture. Their meaning behind it, however, may have been a little different. “We’re just adding a little seasoning to the offense,” said Brandon Nimmo at the time.

Shohei Ohtani’s Heroic Japanese Teammate Lars Nootbaar Reached Out to His Mother to Tackle a Bizarre Bathroom Emergency

This is what the Mets fans were referring to in the comments section of Talkin’ Baseball’s post. Some thought Nootbaar should give Frazier credit. While one fan pointed out that not everyone could be bothered to keep up with the Mets!

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