What had long been expected became official on Thursday when MLB announced the Los Angeles Dodgers would play in the Tokyo Series to open the 2025 regular season.
It’s a third time in Dodgers franchise history the team has played overseas, and the matchup with the Chicago Cubs is going to represent their second year in a row playing in Asia. The Dodgers also were part of the Mexico Series in 2018.
The Tokyo Series is the latest installment and expansion of the annual MLB World Tour.
Last season’s MLB World Tour comprised of Spring Training games in the Dominican Republic, Seoul Series, Mexico City Series and London Series.
Additional details, including team matchups, for the 2025 MLB World Tour are expected to be announced at a later date.
MLB is returning to Japan for the 25th anniversary of the league’s first games in the country, when the Cubs played against the New York Mets at the Tokyo Dome in 2000.
Overall, the 2025 Tokyo Series is going to represent the sixth time MLB games have been played in Japan.
What Guggenheim sponsoring Tokyo Series means
While the Dodgers — and Cubs for that matter — were a logical choice to start the 2025 regular season in Japan, what was not necessarily expected was Guggenheim having an official partnership with the league.
The global investment and advisory firm, which also happens to be the majority owner of the Dodgers, is the presenting sponsor of MLB’s Tokyo Series.
“The Tokyo Series presented by Guggenheim provides us with a unique opportunity to showcase great Japanese players in their homeland for our passionate fans in that country,” MLB deputy commissioner of business and media Noah Garden said in a statement.
“Our new partnership with Guggenheim will help us expand the impact of the event as MLB’s popularity in Japan continues to grow rapidly.”
As part of the agreement, the 2025 Tokyo Series presented by Guggenheim is going to see the firm receive extensive brand placement including in the event logo that will appear in advertising and promotion for the event, and continued usage of a sleeve patch on Dodgers jerseys that was first introduced for the 2024 season.
Guggenheim additionally is going to have worldwide promotional rights tied to the Tokyo Series, signage visible on television, ballpark brand exposure and premium hospitality opportunities.
Guggenheim purchased the Dodgers from former owner Frank McCourt in 2012.
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