WATCH: Shogun fame Hiroyuki Sanada poses with Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto after ceremonial first pitch

Ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals' Sunday Easter game, Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada threw the ceremonial first pitch. His fellow countryman, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, caught his pitcher as the catcher and posed with him for pictures.

It was an honor for Sanada to step up the pitcher's mound, and his excitement was through the roof.

"Very honored, and a bit nervous, of course," Sanada said. "I was a baseball kid. I played a lot when I was a kid."

Sanado is not new to baseball and knows his way around. He had a baseball centered film named "Hero Interview" from the 90s, but when asked about it, he said, "But it wasn't a pitcher role."

Sanada is part of FX's epic new saga "Shogun," as a producer and also portrays the role of Lord Yoshii Toranaga in the series.

---

Hiroyuki Sanada praised Dodgers' two-way star as "polite" and "good model for young generation"

In August 2023, when Hiroyuki Sanada was in LA for the premier of his action comedy, "Bullet Train," the Japanese actor praised what his compatriot Shohei Ohtani had done in the most competitive baseball league in the world.

Around this time, Ohtani had surpassed Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki for the most home runs by a Japan-born player in the MLB.

A few days later, in a phone interview, Sanada praised Shohei Ohtani for his polite nature and saw him as a good role model for the young generation.

"He has a great talent, of course," Sanada said. "And then he has a great manner, in the stadium or off or with fans. He’s very polite and a good model for the young generation."

In the same interview, Hiroyuki Sanada also revealed his love for baseball from a young age. He disclosed that he played as a catcher when he was eight.

As for the Easter game against the Cardinals, Max Muncy's two-run shot in the eighth inning helped the Dodgers triumph 5-4 over the Cardinals.

​