The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs were chosen to represent MLB and the United States in the Tokyo Series not only because they feature some of the best players to come out of Japan, but also because they are two of the most historic franchises in the history of the sport.
The Cubs were a charter member of the National League, one of the eight original franchises to form the league in 1876. They also play in the MLB oldest stadium, with Wrigley Field opening in 1914.
And even though they were the designated home team for both regular season games, the spotlight was more so focused on the Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani in the lead up and throughout the Tokyo Series.
“I think that’s a product of we’re playing the world champions, so you expect that from that perspective. We’re playing against the most famous player in the world, so you expect it from that perspective as well,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.
“It’s still a competition. We’re trying to beat them the same, and it’s OK. I don’t think it bothers any of us or changing anything about our experience here or our anticipation of enjoying the experience. When you’re the world champs, you get to enjoy the spoils of that. That’s fair to me.”
Even with fellow Japanese natives on their roster in Shota Imanaga and Seiyq Suzuki, the relative lack of attention the Cubs received while in Tokyo is a symptom of a larger trend, that being the Dodgers rapid growth in popularity within Japan.
The Dodgers’ success the past two years have pull ahead them of MLB’s other historic franchises when it comes to their popularity with Japanese, and that is by design as L.A. has been actively trying to make that happen.
“I think in totality, there’s still a few ballclubs that share that same lore of history. But baseball, a lot of it is cyclical. Our hope is we can continue to ride this high tide as the Dodgers. But in Japan, I think it’s more skewed because of Shohei,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“Nothing against the other Japanese players, but Shohei is such a beast in this whole equation. There’s a lot of (No.) 17 Dodgers jerseys here.”
Dave Roberts surpasses Craig Counsell as MLB’s highest paid manager
The Dodgers signed Roberts to a four-year contract extension that will keep him with the organization through the 2029 season.
Roberts’ new deal includes a record average annual value of $8.1 million per season, the highest ever for an MLB manager as it surpassed the average annual value of Counsell’s five-year, $40 million contract with the Cubs.
Counsell still remained the highest-paid manager in MLB history with his $40 million deal signed before the 2024 season.
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