Continual departure of Japanese stars to MLB imperils popularity of game at home

TOKYO — History will be made March 18 when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Chicago Cubs in an Opening Day matchup in Japan, the first of a two-game series at Tokyo Dome. MLB Opening Day Series have been played in Japan before on five other occasions, starting with the Mets-Cubs in 2000.

But this time it is special. Three of the biggest stars in the game will be Japanese wearing Dodger uniforms, two more will be on the Cubs. It is likely that that two Japanese-born pitchers will face each other in their home country for the first time ever in an MLB game.

This represents quite a high for baseball in Japan since their game has long been seeking parity with their baseball playing rivals across the sea. Introduced by an American professor in 1872, the game became popular on a college and high school level until visit by a team of MLB All-Stars featuring Babe Ruth in 1934 sparked the creation of Japan’s first pro baseball league.