Major League Baseball capped off their 2024 season with a wildly successful playoffs that culminated with a World Series win by the Los Angeles Dodgers over the New York Yankees.
Of note, viewership for the World Series drew a combined 29.7 million average viewers in the United States and Japan. Game 2 had an average of 15.9 million viewers in Japan, making it the most-watched postseason game ever in the country.
Since signing Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason, the Dodgers have thrust themselves into peak popularity in Japan. That made the Dodgers a natural choice to play in the Tokyo Series to begin the 2025 season, when they will face the Chicago Cubs.
While the MLB World Tour 2025 will be scaled back, commissioner Rob Manfred noted the league is bullish in putting their international focus on Tokyo, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic:
“Tokyo is really our focus right now for very, very good business reasons,” Manfred said.
The growth in baseball’s popularity in Japan and overseas grew exponentially following the Ohtani and Yamamoto signings. There also was a boon with the Seoul Series between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres to open the 2024 season. Those games drew 18.7 million viewers, a record due to its airing in primetime.
Manfred has worked with teams to grow the game to surrounding nations, and although World Tour games won’t be played in Mexico or Puerto Rico in 2025, the league has plans to do so in the future.
MLB preparing for Tokyo Series
Taking place at the Tokyo Dome, the Dodgers and Cubs each boast their own stars with significant ties to the region.
Ohtani, Yamamoto, Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga are sure to draw in record interest from Japan and neighboring countries.
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