Major League Baseball on Friday called this week’s Tokyo Series between Japanese standout Shohei Ohtani‘s World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs the largest standalone international event in its history.

According to MLB, the season-opening series, which marked the homecoming of reigning National League MVP Ohtani along with four other Japanese-born players on the two clubs, set MLB records for viewership, merchandise sales and attendance.

The league said the Tokyo Series opener drew an average of more than 25 million viewers across all platforms, making it the most-watched MLB game ever in Japan. The total surpassed the previous mark of 18.7 million set during the 2024 Seoul Series.

MLB also said the two-game Tokyo Series averaged more than 24 million viewers, eclipsing the 2024 Seoul Series by nearly 7 million to become the most-watched MLB series ever in Japan.

The Tokyo Series also recorded the best merchandise sales of any MLB international event in history with sales eclipsing the previous mark from the 2024 London Series by 320%.

Ohtani’s Dodgers jersey and the Tokyo Series patch were the most popular items sold at the MLB Official Store at Tokyo Dome.

MLB also said its Tokyo Series Fan Fest, a free event, drew more than 450,000 people over the course of 12 days and was the most-visited MLB fan festival in league history.

Free agent pitcher Julio Urias, who hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2023, was suspended through this year’s All-Star break for violating Major League Baseball’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy, commissioner Rob Manfred announced in a Friday news release.

It’s Urias’ second suspension for violating the policy. He was suspended for 20 games in 2019 after being arrested on suspicion of domestic battery.

He’ll be reinstated on July 17, 2025, and then free to sign with any team.

Urias, 28, spent eight seasons with the Dodgers before being placed on administrative leave after his latest arrest in September 2023. He remained there until becoming a free agent at the end of that season. He did not sign with a team last year while under investigation.

Urias’ latest arrest occurred outside a soccer match in Los Angeles after the pitcher got into an altercation with his wife. In 2024, he plead no contest to the battery charges stemming from that arrest and entered a treatment program.

Since Urias isn’t employed by a team the league could not assign him a number of games for the suspension, instead choosing a date that corresponds with the end of the All-Star break.

Urias was signed out of Mexico as a 16-year-old, making his debut for the Dodgers just three years later. He was an important contributor on L.A’s playoff teams during that era, recording the final out of the 2020 World Series, winning 20 games in 2021 and finishing third in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2022.

Urias was widely projected to sign a $200 million-plus contract before being arrested.

PEORIA, Ariz. — San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish will start the season on the injured list because of inflammation in his right elbow, manager Mike Shildt said Friday.

Shildt said there is no timetable for Darvish’s return but the team is confident he will be back in the rotation following rest and a ramp-up period.

Darvish made a pair of spring training starts but was shut down after the second, a four-inning, 54-pitch outing against Kansas City on March 13. The Padres decided to have him back off his throwing program after he played catch a couple times.

Kyle Hart, Stephen Kolek and Randy Vasquez are candidates to fill Darvish’s spot in the rotation behind Michael King, Dylan Cease and Nick Pivetta.

Darvish is 110-88 with a 3.58 ERA in 12 major league seasons after pitching for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan’s Pacific League from 2005-11. The 38-year-old had Tommy John surgery on March 17, 2015, and returned to a major league mound on May 28, 2016.

He had back, neck and elbow problems last season and was on the restricted list for personal reasons from early July to late August. He won three of four starts in September and was 1-1 with a 1.98 ERA in two starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series

Darvish came to the major leagues in 2012 after agreeing to a $56 million, six-year contract with the Texas Rangers. He was traded to the Dodgers in July 2017, became a free agent after the World Series and signed a $126 million, six-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. Darvish was dealt to San Diego after the 2020 season and in February 2023 agreed to a contract with the Padres that added an additional $90 million in guaranteed money for a total of $108 million over six year.

His 2023 season ended in late August because of a bone spur in his right elbow.