It’s not every day that a person can brag about playing against one of the strongest pro baseballers in the world. And as if that wasn’t enough, striking them out too. Things took an interesting turn in the recent World Baseball Classic game of Japan vs the Czech Republic. And Shohei Ohtani was at the center of it all, even after the game concluded.

Debuting in the WBC this year, the Czech team has quickly become a fan favorite with their amazing play. The most interesting thing, perhaps, is that those players aren’t even full-time baseballers. Nevertheless, they’ve dominated the headlines ever since they scored a win against another first-timer, China.

Japan, of course, is no stranger to strong players or victory. And yet, for a while there, things were tense when the two teams competed. Ultimately, Japan won, but they still had respect for the Czech Republic. And the latter responded back.

The Czech Republic only has words of praise for Shohei Ohtani even after losing to Japan

Japan is as well stacked as an All-Star team this year, with Sho-time leading the roster. Other big names include Yu Darvish, Lars Nootbaar, and Roki Sasaki. Somehow still, the Czech team gave them a run for their money as they put up a strong struggle. And it clearly impressed Ohtani, who later posted a picture of the Czech team with the caption, “Respect” with the Czech flag on his Instagram story.

Coming from one of the greatest baseball players this century has seen, the team really must have been something to play against. And they answered right back with a tweet that sang praises of Ohtani. The caption read, “Speechless! 🇨🇿🫶🏻 Best player of baseball history paying respect to our boys… that’s alright @MLB @WBCBaseball #CzechIN #baseballczech”

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What did the fans think of this display?

Japan has been a well-favored team in the World Baseball Classic so far, especially being the only team with multiple championship wins in the past. And yet, the European team may just steal hearts with their own unusual play.

Fans from all over the world responded to the tweet about how much they admired Ohtani’s integrity. After all, win or lose, everyone’s here for their love of baseball.

As some fans rightly pointed out – at the core of it all, competitions are about the love of the sport for everyone involved. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who lost or who won, as long as fun is considered.

READ MORE – Two-Way Star Shohei Ohtani Leaves the Opponents Awestruck With His MVP Caliber Skills Amidst Ongoing World Baseball Classic

Japan now heads to a game against Australia on Sunday at 6 a.m. ET, after the latter defeated Korea.

WATCH THIS STORY: Japanese Two-Way Baseball Star Shohei Ohtani Hits 100th Major League Homer