‘We’re going to have kids growing up as Dodger fans’: How L.A.’s plan to win over Japan has begun
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Seiko Watanabe stood beside the pathway to the baseball fields at the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ spring training facility on a recent weekday morning, wearing a white Shohei Ohtani jersey purchased from the team’s store a day earlier. She kept one eye on her 6-year-old son — outfitted with a Dodgers cap, a Dodgers glove and a blue Dodgers shirsey with Ohtani’s No. 17 on the back — and the other on a nearby door from where players typically emerge.
Two days earlier, Watanabe had flown close to 6,000 miles from her Japanese hometown of Yokohama in hopes of merely catching a glimpse of Ohtani, with no guarantee of an autograph or even an interaction.
“I just want to see him,” she said. “That’s my dream.”
Twelve months ago, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman sat on the bleachers in Miyazaki, Japan, to watch the Japanese national team practice for the World Baseball Classic and thought about people like Watanabe. He was struck by the thousands of fans who showed up, but also by how their loyalties were splintered across a half-dozen Major League Baseball teams. He imagined them all wearing Dodgers gear instead. That image stayed with Friedman and his front-office lieutenants throughout 2023 — and helped push them to allocate more than $1 billion for Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
“I think the passion for the game of baseball there is as strong or stronger than any other country in the world,” Friedman said. “And so in an ideal world, in the next five to 10 years, we’re going to have kids growing up as Dodger fans.”
The Dodgers have yet to play their first game of 2024 — that will happen Thursday, in an exhibition contest against the division-rival San Diego Padres, at 3:10 p.m. ET on ESPN — but their standing as the predominant MLB team of Japan is already becoming clear.
Dodgers-branded wine has been sold at liquor stores in Japan; Japanese publications have previewed the Dodgers’ upcoming season as closely as they would any local team; and the iconic No. 16 jersey of former Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo has been popping up all over Camelback Ranch, the Dodgers’ spring training home. In the two-month stretch that encompassed Ohtani’s free-agent decision and Super Bowl Sunday, the Dodgers were searched on Google twice as often in Japan as they were in the United States.
“Every single day, you see the news about Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto,” Watanabe said. “Every channel. Every evening news, you see it.”
About a dozen Japanese photographers and videographers have stationed themselves on the outskirts of the Dodgers’ facility every morning shortly after sunrise, waiting to capture Ohtani and Yamamoto as they drive into the players’ parking lot. Ohtani’s first interview session, on Feb. 9, was attended by about 70 credentialed media members. Later that afternoon, at least that many stood along a rope to watch Yamamoto, Nippon Professional Baseball’s MVP three years running, warm up with fellow Dodgers starter Walker Buehler.
“Obviously baseball is kind of covered differently than other sports, and when you get the personalities and the following that those two guys get, it kind of becomes a little bit more like a football Sunday every day,” Buehler said. “I think it’s great for us as a team, great for a lot of the guys on our team that are going to get more attention for what they do and for our team as well. You can kind of go back to the World Baseball Classic and the coverage and the energy and the vibe that that gets. I think it’s good for the game to be covered in this way.”
The Dodgers had a foothold on Japan in the mid-1990s, when Nomo-mania swept Los Angeles. Nomo won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1995 and finished within the top five in Cy Young voting for a second straight time the following year. He faded shortly thereafter, but his presence and prowess spawned a generation of people in Japan who would grow up to be Dodgers fans.
Since then, Japan’s biggest stars — Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Yu Darvish and Daisuke Matsuzaka, not to mention Ohtani when he first came to the big leagues in 2017 — have signed elsewhere. But with this winter’s moves, the Dodgers re-claimed their title as Japan’s team, at least in the mind of Scott Okamoto, a lifelong Angelino who has followed the Dodgers since the 1970s.
A little less than two years ago, Okamoto started a podcast, “Asians in Baseball,” about Asian representation in the major leagues, alongside Kim Cooper and Naomi Ko, two women in their early 30s who discovered the sport through the hoopla over the Chicago Cubs‘ World Series title in 2016 and fell in love with it while watching Ohtani establish himself as a two-way star in 2021. Ohtani’s influence in Japan in the 2020s evokes Michael Jordan’s imprint on American culture in the 1990s.
“Everyone from your 90-year-old grandmother to your toddler has heard Ohtani’s name in Japan,” Okamoto said. “It’s that pervasive.”
Ohtani’s introductory news conference on Dec. 14 was carried by five different networks in Japan and drew a worldwide audience of 70 million people. His Dodgers jersey set a Fanatics record for sales within the first 48 hours of release, breaking a mark previously held by soccer star Lionel Messi, when he joined Inter Miami.
The Dodgers, who don’t release specifics on ticket sales, are all but certain to reach the 4-million mark in attendance for the first time this season. The Angels, sources said, made around $20 million annually in additional sponsorship and marketing revenue while they employed Ohtani over these last six years, and league sources expect the Dodgers — a far more global brand to begin with — to do significantly better. The immediate tangible gains are obvious. What’s harder to grasp is what this will mean in the long term.
“I don’t think we understand the magnitude of it all,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said.
Perhaps Rōki Sasaki, the 22-year-old Japanese pitching sensation the Dodgers and 29 other teams are salivating over, will prioritize L.A. when he gets posted in the near future. Perhaps the generation that follows him will do the same, having grown up at a time when their idols wore Dodger Blue.
“I certainly think that that had to be part of the calculus,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was born in Okinawa, Japan.
“We’ve talked a lot over the years of doing everything that we can to be a destination spot, where our own players don’t want to leave, where players from other teams are longingly looking at the Dodgers and wanting to play there,” Friedman said. “And to the extent that that can extend to the elite players that are going to play in the NPB over the next 15, 20 years, that’s even better.”
Sports
Why no lead is safe, the Sam Bennett effect, and other Round 2 lessons of the Stanley Cup playoffs
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Ryan S. Clark
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Kristen Shilton
Sixteen games have been played in the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. Some trends from Round 1 have continued. Others have not.
With multiple teams on the cusp of elimination, it’s time for another set of playoff takeaways, courtesy of NHL reporters Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton.
Jake Oettinger bolstering his case to be Team USA’s No. 1 goalie
Thatcher Demko. Connor Hellebuyck. Jake Oettinger. Jeremy Swayman. These appear to be the four leading names for who could play goal for the United States at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025, along with the Winter Olympics in 2026.
Having their pick of these goaltenders reinforces the belief that the U.S. is one of the front-runners to win both tournaments. Of course, one of them is expected to miss out, with teams usually taking three goalies. That’s a question that will likely get answered over time. But right now, Oettinger is using the 2024 playoffs to make a case to not only make the team but potentially get the nod in net.
Oettinger’s 24-save performance in the Dallas Stars‘ 5-1 win in Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche means he is now 7-4 with a 2.12 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage this postseason. He has provided the sort of stability that has allowed the Stars to come within a game of reaching the Western Conference finals. And he did it while playing a proverbial SEC schedule, with the Stars facing the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the first round followed by the Avs, who won the Cup in 2022.
It’s possible that Demko, who has battled injuries the last few months, could return for the Vancouver Canucks if they can reach the conference finals. Hellebuyck, who is the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy, endured his most challenging postseason, with a GAA that was north of 5.00 and an .870 save percentage. As for Swayman, he’s posted a 2.28 GAA with a .920 save percentage, although the Boston Bruins‘ past three losses to the Florida Panthers have seen him surrender more than three goals per game since winning Game 1 of the series.
Other factors will go into the team selection (and lineup) process. But this postseason, Oettinger is providing the consistent high-level goaltending that Team USA will need in the upcoming best-on-best tournaments. — Clark
Bennett didn’t arrive until Game 3 of the Florida Panthers‘ series against the Boston Bruins, but suffice it to say, the man has made his mark. The Panthers forward has one goal, one assist, one controversial hit on Brad Marchand (that took the Bruins’ captain out of Game 4 with an upper-body injury) and one contentious scoring sequence under his belt already.
And the fans in Boston were happy to let Bennett have it whenever he touched the puck in Game 4.
Bennett is the latest example of a player becoming a playoff lightning rod. The question is: Will his antics galvanize the Bruins from here and help them overcome a 3-1 series deficit? Or is Bennett’s button-pushing going to give Florida further confidence to stay on top of its Atlantic Division rivals?
Game-changers in the playoffs aren’t always determined through the X’s and O’s, and Bennett has certainly spiced up the Florida-Boston matchup in unexpected ways. — Shilton
0:50
Sam Bennett evens score with clutch power-play goal
Sam Bennett takes advantage on the power play and nets a huge goal for the Panthers to even the score against the Bruins.
Why can’t anyone in the West hold a lead?
One of the common threads in the Western Conference semifinal series is that no lead is safe. The Dallas Stars found that out in Game 1 when the Colorado Avalanche came back from a three-goal deficit to win in overtime. Game 2 saw the Stars build a 4-0 lead only to see the Avs score three before the Stars won 5-3. In Game 3, the Stars had a 1-0 lead until the Avs tied the game. The Stars scored again but were under threat before a pair of empty-net goals gave them a 4-1 lead.
The Edmonton Oilers had a two-goal lead in Game 1 before the Vancouver Canucks won 5-4. The Canucks had a pair of one-goal leads in Game 2 before the Oilers won it in overtime. Game 3 saw the Oilers jump out to a 1-0 lead before the Canucks scored three straight. Even then, the Oilers scored two of the game’s final three goals and made life hectic for the Canucks after they scored early in the third period before losing 4-3.
What is it about the Western Conference right now? Why is it that each of the four teams presents equal arguments for how it can charge out to a lead — and could lose it just as easily? One reason is that all four were rather strong at comebacks in the regular season. The Stars were 23-15-4 when their opponents scored first, while the Avalanche were 20-17-0 when their opponent got the first goal. As for the Oilers, they were 18-18-3 in those situations whereas the Canucks were 12-12-5.
“It’s certainly a mental boost and a pick-me-up if you believe in what your team’s doing and have firepower, which, I think, all the teams have firepower and can score,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “You get something going your way, it’s snowballing going downhill and the other team is trying to survive for a little bit. If you can capitalize on a chance or two, it starts turning the tide.
“The belief gets stronger and stronger. … When you are playing from behind, you get to a certain part of the game where you have nothing to lose. You’re either going out with a loss or pushing to try and make it a win. I think it’s evenly matched teams, all desperate to try to survive and advance and lay it all on the line.” — Clark
Go big or go deep?
The New York Rangers–Carolina Hurricanes series is a fascinating look at how two great teams approached the trade deadline this season — with varied results.
Last season, the Rangers went all-in, acquiring Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko to (theoretically) give them a boost come playoff time. New York’s would-be stars never acted their part, and the Rangers made a first-round exit. This season, New York added depth in Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic so that its core could shine as is — and it’s working.
Meanwhile, Carolina followed the Rangers’ script from last season with the deadline blockbuster (hello, Jake Guentzel). But somehow, the Hurricanes’ ship plotting toward a Stanley Cup Final took on significant water in the second round.
Now, it’s not all due to one factor (or player). But this illustrates how it’s not always big swings that ultimately determine a team’s fate. Maybe it’s a mindset or mentality that comes with staying the course. New York essentially bet on itself to get the job done, and it’s working. Carolina gathered reinforcements, and that hasn’t paid off as quickly. And oddly enough, if anyone can relate, it’s the Rangers. — Shilton
Lingering questions on the Oilers’ goaltending
Stuart Skinner has become a topic of conversation for a second straight postseason. Last year, he was a rookie who was pulled four times, with three of those early exits coming in the second round. Fast forward to this postseason. In Game 3, he was pulled after two periods and now has a 4.63 goals-against average and a .790 save percentage in three games against the Canucks.
It left Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch with a decision ahead of Game 4. Does he return to Skinner? Does he turn to Calvin Pickard, who replaced Skinner in Game 3? Or does that all open the door for Jack Campbell? Even while trying to answer those questions, there’s another one facing the Oilers.
How will the decision facing Knoblauch this postseason impact the club going forward? Campbell is under contract for three more years at $5 million annually, while Skinner has two years left at $2.6 million annually. Pickard is a pending unrestricted free agent on a team that Cap Friendly projects will have a little less than $9 million in space in the offseason.
The past five years have watched the Oilers go from a team of promise with two generational talents in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid to one that carries championship expectations into each season. In that time, the Oilers’ front office has worked to address their needs, which have ranged from finding secondary scoring to strengthening a defense to getting the goaltenders they feel can help them win a title.
But with their current situation, what could next season look like for the Oilers in goal? Especially when they have 10 UFAs, seven of whom are forwards. And even that comes with the context that whatever they do this offseason could impact what happens in the summer of 2025, when Draisaitl could hit the open market. — Clark
Is Edmonton built to last?
There’s no doubt the Oilers can score. They’ve done plenty of it in the postseason. But is Edmonton designed to win over the long haul here?
Consider that the Oilers have tallied 33 goals total — but only 17 at even strength. That top-ranked power play has been a vital part of Edmonton’s success to date, and now it is experiencing what happens when it runs up against a sensational penalty kill like Vancouver’s. Pucks can stop finding twine as frequently on the man advantage. The Oilers are 4-for-8 on the power play through three games; the Canucks are nearly matching them, though, at 3-for-9. If the special teams battle becomes neutral ground, it’s fair to question whether the Oilers can get out of the second round based purely on their even-strength play.
McDavid has one 5-on-5 goal in the playoffs. Draisaitl has two. But each has 10 total points on the power play. Maybe there’s still a shift coming. That special teams mojo better start translating throughout the game for Edmonton, though. — Shilton
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