The World Series is breaking records in Japan … with an average of 15.9 MILLION viewers tuning in to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in Game 2 — making it the most watched outing in MLB postseason history in the country.
The league released the astounding numbers on Monday … revealing the first two games of the Fall Classic averaged almost 30 million viewers in the U.S. and Japan.
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MLB said it wasn’t just popular in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto‘s native country — the matchup also saw a 93% increase within the younger audience (ages 18 to 34).
The average 15.9 million watching Game 2 is truly astounding, but it’s not the most-watched game ever in Japan — that honor belongs to the Dodgers’ season-opening showdown with the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea … which attracted 18.7 million average viewers.
Of course, the folks in Japan are all about Ohtani and Yamamoto … but it’s also massive worldwide — and MLB has to be thrilled with the two biggest markets AND superstars (shoutout Aaron Judge) facing off for all the marbles.
Ohtani — who signed the largest contract in sports history ($700M) — suffered a shoulder injury while attempting to steal second base in the 7th inning in Game 2. However, the designated hitter is expected to play in Game 3 in New York.
And if the numbers for the first two games are any indication, everyone will be watching.
