Nootbaar says pepper-grinder sales are ‘up quite a bit’
FILE - Lars Nootbaar of Japan reacts in 8th inning during the Pool B game between Japan and China at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) at the Tokyo Dome on March 9, 2023, in Tokyo. Nootbaar's pepper-grinder gesture is catching on all across Japan, not just at the Tokyo Dome.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Eugene Hoshiko]
TOKYO (AP) — Lars Nootbaar’s pepper-grinder gesture is catching on all across Japan. You see people doing it on the trains, across the counter ordering a coffee and of course among the 40,000 fans who have packed the Tokyo Dome to watch Japan play in the World Baseball Classic. Nootbaar says “the fans have leaned it to that. It’s been pretty cool.” He says he has heard that pepper grinder sales “have gone up quite a bit this past week.” Nootbaar says he’s ready to come back and play again at the next World Baseball Classic. He says “hopefully in three years or whatever it is. It’s been a great experience.”
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Japan team's Lars Nootbaar gestures during a Pool B game against the Czech Republic on March 11, 2023, at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo. Nootbaar's pepper-grinder gesture is catching on all across Japan, not just at the Tokyo Dome.(Kyodo News via AP)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE - Lars Nootbaar of Japan hits a single against China in the first inning of the Pool B game at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in Tokyo, Japan, March 9, 2023. Nootbaar's pepper-grinder gesture is catching on all across Japan, not just at the Tokyo Dome.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Eugene Hoshiko
Japan team's Lars Nootbaar gestures during a Pool B game against Australia on March 12, 2023, at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo. Nootbaar's pepper-grinder gesture is catching on all across Japan, not just at the Tokyo Dome.(Kyodo News via AP)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS