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The World Series is shattering records in Japan, attracting an incredible average of 15.9 MILLION viewers as they tuned in to witness the Los Angeles Dodgers triumph over the New York Yankees in Game 2 — marking it as the top-viewed event in MLB postseason history within the nation.
The league unveiled these remarkable figures on Monday, indicating that the initial pair of games from the Fall Classic averaged nearly 30 million viewers combined in both the U.S. and Japan.
MLB noted that its popularity wasn’t confined to just the homeland of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — this contest demonstrated a 93% spike among younger viewers aged 18 to 34.
While averaging 15.9 million viewers for Game 2 is remarkable, it doesn’t clinch the title for the most viewed game in Japan’s history — that distinction belongs to the Dodgers’ season-opening clash with the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea, which garnered an average of 18.7 million viewers.
Naturally, fans in Japan are enthusiastic about Ohtani and Yamamoto, but the event is also a global phenomenon — MLB must be ecstatic to witness their top two markets and superstar athletes (shoutout to Aaron Judge) battling for the championship.
Ohtani, who inked the largest deal in sports history ($700M), encountered a shoulder injury while trying to steal second base during the 7th inning of Game 2. Nevertheless, the designated hitter is anticipated to participate in Game 3 in New York.
Judging by the viewer statistics from the opening two games, it seems like everyone will be tuning in.
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