The 2024 World Series feels a bit more like a “world” series thanks to the strong viewership in Japan.
MLB announced that the first two games of the Fall Classic drew 29.7 million average viewers between the U.S. and Japan. While Americans have been drawn by the allure of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers facing off for the 12th time for baseball supremacy, the Japanese have tuned in for their national hero, Shohei Ohtani.
Game 2, which featured Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound for LA, broke the record for MLB playoff viewership in Japan as 15.9 million people watched the Dodgers pull out a 4-2 win to take a 2-0 series lead. The prior record lasted just one day as 14.4 million turned on their TVs for Game 1.
The viewership is even more impressive because of the 17-hour time difference between Japan and California. World Series games have aired at 9 a.m. in Japan, which is 5 p.m. in Los Angeles and 8 p.m. in New York.
Here in the U.S., Game 1 was the most-watched opening game of the World Series in seven years as 15.2 million viewers tuned into a classic on Fox capped off by Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam. In 2017, the Dodgers helped set that prior high mark of 15.3 million average viewers when they played the Houston Astros. The long-hyped series features two media markets that are home to 10.6% of all U.S. television households.
Game 2 went up against college football on Saturday night, but performed well otherwise, with 13.44 million viewers, according to Nielsen’s fast nationals. That was the best Game 2 total in the U.S. since 2018, when an average audience of 13.51 million saw the Dodgers face off against the Boston Red Sox.
Ohtani has been the rising tide lifting all of MLB’s boat in 2024 as the league reported improved TV viewership and attendance earlier this month. His shoulder injury during Game 2 threatened to derail him and the Dodgers, yet with manager Dave Roberts indicating that he’ll play on Monday for Game 3 in New York, it’s safe to say that MLB, Fox and Japanese broadcasters have let out a collective sigh of relief.