This week, the Dodgers and Cubs played a two-game series in Tokyo Japan to kick off the 2025 MLB season. The series, which is a continuation of MLB’s World Tour, featured some of the game’s finest Japanese talent.
For the Cubs, they feature Japanese stars Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki. But the Dodgers take it up to an even higher level. In the last two offseasons, they have signed the greatest Japanese-born player ever, Shohei Ohtani, and phenoms Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
It’s no surprise that these two clubs were chosen to represent baseball internationally, but perhaps nobody could have predicted just how successful this series would be.
A Viewership record
According to MLB, the series was the most-watched Major League baseball game in Japan’s history. The league said that each game between the Cubs and Dodgers surpassed at least 24 million views, with game two exceeding the 25 million viewership mark.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto started game one and was good. Getting the start in his homecoming series, Yamamoto went five innings only allowing one run. His pitches missed Cubs bats all day and he looked prime to build off his strong rookie season this year.
For the Cubs fellow Japanese superstar Shota Imanaga would get the start in Game 1. Imanaga was not his typical self as he walked four Dodgers in just three innings of work. But he did not allow a run and left the game with the Cubs in the lead before they would fall 4-1.
Game 2 was the debut of MLB’s top prospect, and former NPB phenom Roki Sasaki. Sasaki was decent in his debut as he allowed zero runs to the Cubs, but he did give up five walks in just three innings of work.
Perhaps the real highlight of the series was Shohei Ohtani. It’s no surprise that Ohtani stole the show, considering he’s been doing that since he entered Major League baseball. The game’s most global superstar had an excellent series going three for eight with three runs scored and a controversial home run that electrified the Tokyo fans.
Financial Dominance
Merchandising sales were fantastic as this series broke MLB’s previous merchandising sales for any international event. According to Fanatics, more than 200,000 fans shopped at the MLB stores in Tokyo that week. Additionally, over 2,000 fans waited in line for hours on the day of the first game of the series. It is estimated that this series netted $40 million in merchandising sales.
While the Cubs fans did make their presence felt, it’s obvious the Dodgers dominated this series in every facet. Not only did they sweep the Cubs on the field, but they may have swept them off of it. For starters, the Dodger fans in the stands heavily outnumbered the Cubs fans.
The Dodgers have grown their brand to reach international audiences like no team in Major League history has before. They have constructed the best lineup in the majors, an elite rotation, and a dominant bullpen. Its difficult to find a flaw in the Dodgers process as they look to build a global baseball empire.
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