Expectations are growing for the Japanese market to be a driving force for Major League Baseball's global growth strategy.

That's a point of pride at home, but also a reason to worry. What happens to baseball in Japan, to the country's pro league, if the stars all leave for the United States? About a dozen Japanese played in MLB last season,

The baseball-mad country of Japan greeted perhaps the brightest star it has ever produced with silence. When Shohei Ohtani stepped into the batter’s box to open Major League Baseball’s season against his fellow countryman,

But the Japanese players who were playing in front of their home country at the Tokyo Dome on Tuesday handled any jitters they had quite well, delivering in clutch moments as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-1, in Major League Baseball’s season opener.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs open the 2025 Major League Baseball season in Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday, March 18. Here's how to watch.