Mar 19, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, JPN; Japanese born players (from left to right) Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17), Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki (27), Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (center), Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18), Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18), and pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) pose for a group photo after the game during the Tokyo Series at Tokyo Dome. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

mlb

Tokyo Series: Dodgers vs Cubs MLB Opener Shatters Viewership Record in Japan

MLB fever sweeps across Japan!

Does MLB have someone to thank? Is it even remotely possible for anyone in their right mind to still claim baseball is dying after the spectacle the sport just put on in the Tokyo Series?

Let’s throw out a few names. The entire Los Angeles Dodgers, for starters – for going all in, spending over a billion dollars in the offseason, and now seeing that investment pay off for the entire sport. And of course, how could anyone leave out Shohei Ohtani? He’s him. He’s the guy making waves across the global sports landscape – not just in baseball, but everywhere.

For those who bought into the “baseball is dying” narrative, if there’s one player responsible for revitalizing America’s pastime, it’s ironically a Japanese superstar: Shohei Ohtani.

Dave Roberts described the aura of Shohei Ohtani perfectly 👏

That Tokyo home run was something special. pic.twitter.com/Yh9EopFHs2
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) March 20, 2025

Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers Take Over Tokyo

According to MLB’s Public Relations department, Tuesday’s season opener shattered previous records for a professional baseball game in Japan. With stars like Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga, and Seiya Suzuki on the field, an incredible 25 million viewers tuned in across the country.

25 million viewers in Japan watched the MLB opener. There hasn't been a larger American baseball audience for a single game in over 7 years. pic.twitter.com/C9UGeAefHT
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 19, 2025

To put that into perspective, Japan’s population is around 125 million, meaning one in five people watched the game.

The last MLB game to surpass 25 million domestic viewers was Game 7 of the 2017 World Series between the Dodgers and Houston Astros. Even Game 7 of the 2019 World Series barely topped 23 million.

ALSO READ: “I Was Nervous”: Shohei Ohtani Admits Nerves During Historic Tokyo Return

For a regular-season MLB game to outdraw the domestic viewership of World Series games, especially in a country with just a third of the U.S. population, is absolutely staggering. It’s also a testament to Shohei Ohtani’s star power in his home country.

This series was of massive interest to Japanese fans, given that the two teams combined for five former NPB players in their lineups. But beyond that, it underscores the global potential of baseball. MLB’s push to expand internationally, especially in Japan and South Korea, isn’t just smart. It’s necessary.

Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani

Tokyo Series 2025

Mohsin Baldiwala

mlb

Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.