Shohei Ohtani watched his baseball idol throw at the first pitch of Game 5.

Shohei Ohtani next to Godzilla in front of Yankee Stadium

Before taking the field for the first at-bat of Game 5 of the World Series, Shohei Ohtani was treated to a blast from the past when Hideki Matsui, the former Yankees hitter nicknamed “Godzilla” by fans, threw out the first pitch of New York’s final home game of the fall classic.

A brutal burn by the Yankees? A tricky use of their legends to get in Ohtani’s head? Or singly a fun way to tie together MLB history, allowing the two men to share the field in the World Series?

Regardless of the intentions, the reaction was as intended, as fans went wild for Matsui’s appearance, cheering him on as he took the field to throw out the first pitch.

Hideki Matsui throws out the first pitch before Game 5

Unfortunately for Ohtani, he didn’t tribute Matsui with his first at-bat, as the Dodgers left the field scoreless at the end of the first and found themselves down 0-4 by the end of the second. Still, considering Matsui hit 175 home runs and 760 RBIs over his professional career in the MLB, the Yankees certainly did the 50-year-old from Neagari, Ishikawa, Japan, proud, with Aaron Judge starting the scoring flurry with a home run followed up by a bomb from Jazz Chisholm.

Speaking about Matsui after tying the slugger with home runs at 175, Ohtani celebrated the Japanese home run hitter, telling The Athletic that he is proud to have his name in the same conversation as “Godzilla.”