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.
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.