TOKYO (Kyodo) -- With the mad scramble to get tickets behind them, Japanese baseball fans are now looking forward to watching Shohei Ohtani and four other Japanese-born players take part in the MLB season-opening series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs starting Tuesday in Tokyo.

Driven by the popularity of the two-way superstar, tickets sold out instantly for the two-game series, the first MLB regular-season games in Japan in six years.

The hype was so unreal that organizers suddenly made about 10,000 tickets available for last Friday's workout day, allowing lucky purchasers to get a glimpse of their heroes.

Tickets, however, were pricey with seats behind home plate costing 60,000 yen ($402) per person, while premium group tickets, offered to groups of up to 10, cost 1.76 million yen ($11,800).

"Demand was extremely high for all types of tickets, and they were gone right away," an official of ticket company Pia Corp. said.

Ticket packages were also available for all six games of the Tokyo Series, including four exhibition games between the two major league clubs and two of the most popular teams in Japan, the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers.

"I just happened to get it," said a man in his 50s, who runs a company.

Meanwhile, there have been instances of tickets being resold for far more than the original price.

After investigating cases of those carrying high prices on resale sites, the organizers announced on March 7 they would invalidate such tickets.

Public viewings are also planned at nearly 150 movie theaters and other locations across Japan, according to Major League Baseball.

In the Tokyo Series, the Dodgers feature Ohtani, scheduled Opening Day starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Game 2 starting rookie pitcher Roki Sasaki, while the Cubs have Opening Day pitcher Shota Imanaga and outfielder-designated hitter Seiya Suzuki.

A similar scramble for tickets is expected to happen next year when three-time champion Japan plays first-round games of the World Baseball Classic in March.