Masa Kawai wore his faded Yankees cap on Wednesday as he served customers at the Japanese doughnut shop he owns in Edgewater, N.J. It was two days before Game 1 of a World Series that would feature his Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Mr. Kawai, who emigrated from Japan 20 years ago, left no doubt about his allegiance.

As happy as he is to see Shohei Ohtani, the incomparable slugger from Japan, reach the World Series, Mr. Kawai and his Japanese employees are not abandoning the Yankees, not with so much at stake.

“No, no, never,” Mr. Kawai said with a laugh. “I like Ohtani a lot. He is an amazing player and he is Japanese, like me. But I want the Yankees to win.”

Japanese baseball fans are like sports fans everywhere. Some are fanatical about one team. Some are more casual and switch allegiances depending on a team’s fortunes. Some root solely for a particular athlete, whether it is Ohtani, LeBron James, Marta or Patrick Mahomes.

Ohtani, though, is a special case. It was once thought blasphemous to compare anyone to Babe Ruth, but Ohtani has done things even the Bambino did not. Ruth was a great pitcher with the Boston Red Sox and, later, a legendary slugger for the Yankees, but he rarely excelled at both at once as Ohtani has.

With his unprecedented combination of all-around skill, plus his natural humility and boyish good looks, Ohtani has stoked the imaginations of millions of people. It is not outlandish to think he could one day be considered the best all-around player in history.