MLB Tokyo Series 2025

These were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) games to be played in Japan since the 2019 season opened in Japan. == Broadcast and schedule ==

Exhibition games The Dodgers and Cubs played exhibition games against two Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) teams, the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants, on March 15 and 16. These exhibition games gave fans an opportunity to see some of the best players from both leagues compete against each other. The exhibitions were aired regionally by SportsNet LA in Los Angeles and Marquee Sports Network in Chicago. Rights in Japan were held by Prime Video Japan. In these four games, the Tigers defeated both the Dodgers and Cubs, while the Dodgers and Cubs each defeated the Giants. Tokyo Series games The Tokyo Series games between the Dodgers and Cubs were broadcast nationally in the United States by Fox Sports in English and Fox Deportes in Spanish. Fox reportedly decided to have their announcers remain in the US and broadcast remotely due to other obligations such as the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Nippon Television and Prime Video Japan held broadcast rights in Japan. • Japanese musician Yoshiki performed the U.S. and Japanese national anthems at the Tokyo Series opening ceremony. For the second opening ceremony, Japanese girl group Little Glee Monster performed the U.S. and Japanese national anthems. == Sponsors and partners ==

at Miyashita Park in the Shibuya section of Tokyo The presenting sponsor of the Tokyo Series was Guggenheim Partners. Guggenheim Partners is led by CEO Mark Walter, who also leads Guggenheim Baseball Management, the entity that owns the Dodgers. The Dodgers, featuring Shohei Ohtani, are a popular team in Japan. Japan Airlines was an official presenter of the series and a global partner of Major League Baseball. The airline has consistently supported Japanese players in MLB starting with Hideki Matsui in 2003 and now including Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida. Japan Travel Bureau was also an official partner. Ito En, the Japanese drinks company that manufactures Ohtani's favorite drink (Oi Ocha, an unsweetened green tea), sponsored the series as part of its ongoing global partnership with Ohtani, the Dodgers, and MLB. Asahi Beer has a global partnership with MLB and its "Super Dry" lager was the official beer of the series. The Yomiuri Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, organized the series. MLB collaborated with Takashi Murakami, a contemporary artist, to launch a limited-edition collection of merchandise released by Complex. The Pokémon Company also collaborated with MLB. Tobu Railway decorated a 200 series train, used for its Ryōmō limited express service, in MLB's colors (red, white, and blue) ahead of the series and for the remainder of the year. == Reception ==

The Tokyo Series broke several records and became the largest standalone international event in Major League Baseball's history. The event averaged over 25 million viewers across platforms. Sales beat the prior record holder, the 2024 London Series, by 320%. == See also ==