Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has brought attention to a rare instance of space entertainment by posting an intriguing video of Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata playing baseball while floating in the International Space Station (ISS). In the video, which Wakata first uploaded to X, he can be seen pitching, batting, and catching the ball with ease.
Wakata shared his space-themed celebration as Major League Baseball (MLB) began its season opener in Japan. After a nearly two-decade career, veteran astronaut Wakata retired from JAXA in 2024. During Expedition 39, he became the first Japanese commander of the ISS, having spent more than 500 days in space over five trips.
While sharing the viral video, Wakata captioned the post as, "It's baseball season - the @MLB season opener is kicking off in Japan. During Expedition 68, I played a solo game of baseball. In microgravity, you don't need a whole team, you can play all of the positions."
Take a look at the video here:
Musk reshared the video, attracting even more attention to the footage, clearly astonished by the astronaut's incredible baseball skills. The video, which was captured within the ISS's JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) module, has captured the attention of social media users ever since.
With social media users reacting with amusement, the video has garnered more than 94.8 million views. One social media user pointed out, “Zero gravity baseball? I’d still somehow strike out.”
Whole another user questioned, "How did they get a baseball and glove up there!?" Third user wrote, “This video makes me want to be an astronaut—space baseball sounds too fun to miss!”
ALSO READ: Meet UK influencer who takes international trips during daytime, returns home by bedtime