(Reuters) – Major League Baseball on Friday called this week’s Tokyo Series between Japanese standout Shohei Ohtani’s World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs the largest standalone international event in its history.
According to MLB the season-opening series, which marked the homecoming of reigning National League MVP Ohtani along with four other Japanese-born players on the two clubs, set MLB records for viewership, merchandise sales and attendance.
The league said the Tokyo Series opener drew an average of more than 25 million viewers across all platforms, making it the most-watched MLB game ever in Japan. The total surpassed the previous mark of 18.7 million set during the 2024 Seoul Series.
MLB also said the two-game Tokyo Series averaged more than 24 million viewers, eclipsing the 2024 Seoul Series by nearly 7 million to become the most-watched MLB series ever in Japan.
The Tokyo Series also recorded the best merchandise sales of any MLB international event in history with sales eclipsing the previous mark from the 2024 London Series by 320%.
Ohtani’s Dodgers jersey and the Tokyo Series patch were the most popular items sold at the MLB Official Store at Tokyo Dome.
MLB also said its Tokyo Series Fan Fest, a free event, drew more than 450,000 people over the course of 12 days and was the most-visited MLB fan festival in league history.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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