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2020 Tokyo Olympics: Bullpen Cart Steals the Show in Baseball Event

There’s a new star of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and it’s not an athlete. The bullpen cart utilized during Olympic baseball events has officially stolen the show.

For those that don’t know what a bullpen cart is, here’s a refresher. Most MLB fans are used to a relief pitcher coming out of the bullpen and running to the mound mid-inning when called upon. They often come running out to a theme song of their choice. During the New York Yankees recent heydays of the ’90s and 2000s, baseball fans will remember well that legendary closing pitcher Mariano Rivera used to come to the mound as Metallica‘s “Enter Sandman” blared over stadium speakers.

While a bullpen cart somewhat kills that intimidation factor, this particular one sure is awesome. Today’s opening round Tokyo Olympics baseball game had Israel facing off against South Korea. During the matchup, we got to see the fancy Japanese bullpen cart that everyone is raving about on social media.

Just look at the cart in all its glory. It basically looks like a baseball-themed Disney ride got loose at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. While there have been other interesting carts in history that transported relief pitchers to the mound, this one definitely takes the cake.

There’s all kinds of features to point out on this baseball glove throne on wheels. That’s right. The relief pitcher is wheeled out while sitting on a huge baseball glove throne. For social distancing purposes, the glove seat is six feet away from the driver. Additionally, the cart “talks” with a digital screen in front that says “Go! Go! TOKYO 2020.” Also, just to add more awesomeness to its aesthetic, the bullpen cart’s floor is a baseball field diamond.

Thank you, 2020 Tokyo Olympics, for giving us what we didn’t even know we needed.

Bullpen Cart at the Tokyo Olympics Unites Fans on Twitter With Its

The Olympics are supposed to be a unifying international sporting event that brings together athletes from around the world. The games themselves are often inspiring, and so are the athletes themselves. Yet nothing has brought together fans of the Olympic games so far like the baseball glove-throned bullpen cart.

Fans from all over America seem to be unified in their opinion of the bullpen cart: we need them in Major League Baseball. One fan even said it’s the only thing that could bring him back to watching the MLB again.

https://twitter.com/Ortiz516/status/1420826166265585666

Another fan agreed, saying, “@MLB should bring the #Olympics bullpen cart. #BaseBall,” in another tweet.

“We need the Olympics baseball bullpen cart in the States like yesterday,” another fan said on Twitter.

One fan even jokingly sent in a résumé for the 2028 Olympics that will be held in the United States.

“@CoachBartman will @USABaseball be holding cart driver tryouts for 2028 LA? If so, I’d like to submit my candidacy. Prior Experience: About 50 golf rounds utilizing cart annually. 1st time passage of drivers license exam at age 16. 4.99 Uber rating,” Twitter user Zach Haile hilariously wrote.

Defending Olympics baseball champions South Korea ended up winning the game against Israel 6-5. However, we all know who the true winner of the game was – the bullpen cart.