Dave Roberts Says Dodgers Want ‘Complete Market Share’ of Japan
The Los Angeles Dodgers displayed their dominance on a global stage as they won the first two games of the regular season against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan.
The intention behind picking these two teams to play in the season opener was because the Cubs have two notable Japanese players — Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki — while the Dodgers’ three Japanese stars — Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki — pale in comparison to the rest of a league that has no other team with multiple countrymen (with the exception of the San Diego Padres’ Japanese pitching duo of Yu Darvish and Yuki Matsui).
Manager Dave Roberts, who was born in Okinawa, Japan, revealed that his team is far from finished with adding Japanese talent.
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The skipper noted, via The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, that there is intention behind how the Dodgers are going about sourcing Japanese talent.
“I think it’s very thought-out,” Roberts said. “Everything I say in regards to Japanese players, Japan, the crossover with Dodger fans and Dodger baseball, gets to really essentially making every team jealous or hating the Dodgers.
“We want complete market share of that country. We want every young player over there to be a Dodger fan. So when they have an opportunity to come over, it’s a no-brainer.”
With the recent rise of players heading over to MLB to continue playing at a high level, it makes sense that the Dodgers would want to be the first team that comes to mind with the coming generations of talent.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman doubled down on Roberts’ assertion.
“For us, winning is the primary driver,” Friedman said. “But a very strong secondary benefit is the idea that kids growing up in Japan will be watching Dodger games, become Dodgers fans, will go on to play in the NPB and when they’re making a decision about coming over to Major League Baseball, that it is at least directionally helpful for us to have that recognition and fandom in place as they’re going through that to help us even ever so slightly.”
After the frenzy that surrounded the Dodgers on their recent trip to Japan, it looks like they are on the right track.
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Photo Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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The 2050 World Series: Tokyo Samurai vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
A New Era of Baseball
By 2050, baseball had transformed into a truly global sport. What was once known as the “Fall Classic” featuring only Major League Baseball (MLB) teams had evolved into an international competition. The shift began in the early 2030s, when MLB, recognizing the rising talent and growing markets in Asia and Latin America, expanded its reach. The best teams from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), South Korea’s KBO League, and Latin America’s Super Liga de Béisbol were integrated into the newly formed International Baseball Championship (IBC).
The tournament structure mirrored the old system but with a wider scope: the champions of MLB and the International League (a combined league of top international teams) would meet in the World Series. Over the years, powerhouse franchises like the Tokyo Samurai and the Mexico City Aguilas emerged as dominant forces, frequently challenging established MLB teams.
The Road to the 2050 World Series
This year, the Los Angeles Dodgers, managed by the legendary Dave Roberts—now in his 15th year at the helm—faced off against the Tokyo Samurai, the pride of Japan. The Samurai had stormed through the International League playoffs, defeating the Seoul Dragons in the semifinals. Their ace pitcher, Riku Matsuyama, had dominated the season, leading the league in ERA (1.74) with his devastating signature pitch—the Tsunami. The pitch, a hybrid of a split-finger fastball and a gyro slider, had hitters baffled, crashing down on the plate unpredictably like a tidal wave.
On the other side, the Dodgers were led by their aging but still formidable star, Shohei Ohtani. At 55, Ohtani had long since retired as a player but now served as the team’s hitting coach, mentoring the next generation of two-way stars. Under his guidance, 24-year-old phenom Luis “El Huracán” Rodríguez had become a force, hitting 47 home runs and recording a 2.89 ERA as a starting pitcher.
Game One: A Clash of Titans
The World Series opened in Tokyo’s futuristic SkyDome, a stadium with a retractable roof and holographic scoreboard displays. The energy in Japan was electric, as this was the first time a Japanese team had reached the final stage of the internationalized World Series.
Riku Matsuyama took the mound for the Samurai, facing off against Dodgers ace Julio Velázquez, a 27-year-old Dominican pitcher known for his 102-mph heater. In the bottom of the first, Matsuyama set the tone, striking out the side with his Tsunami pitch, making even the most disciplined Dodgers hitters look helpless.
The game remained a tense 1-1 affair until the eighth inning when the Samurai’s slugger, Hiroshi Tanaka, launched a towering two-run homer off Velázquez, sending the Tokyo crowd into a frenzy. The Samurai’s bullpen held strong, sealing a 3-1 victory in Game One.
A Series for the Ages
As the series moved to Dodger Stadium, the atmosphere shifted. The home crowd erupted as Rodríguez hit a walk-off homer in Game Three, tying the series at 2-2. Ohtani, watching from the dugout, smiled—his mentorship had paid off.
Game Six in Tokyo was legendary. Matsuyama returned to the mound and delivered a masterpiece, striking out 12 in a complete-game shutout to give Tokyo its first World Series championship. The final out—a strikeout on a perfectly executed Tsunami pitch—cemented Matsuyama’s place in baseball history.
A New Era Begins
As the Samurai players celebrated, Commissioner Mike Trout—yes, the same Trout who once dominated the MLB—handed them the trophy, marking a milestone in the sport’s evolution. The 2050 World Series wasn’t just about one team winning; it was about baseball finally becoming the truly global game it was meant to be.
And somewhere in the dugout, Shohei Ohtani—who had once bridged the gap between Japan and MLB—knew he had witnessed history come full circle.
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Make this like a news story. Present and future tense with some history.
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Tokyo Samurai Defeat Dodgers in Historic 2050 World Series
Baseball’s Global Era Reaches a Milestone as Japan Captures First International Title
TOKYO – In a moment decades in the making, the Tokyo Samurai have defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the 2050 World Series, marking the first time a Japanese team has claimed baseball’s most prestigious title. Behind the brilliance of ace pitcher Riku Matsuyama and a dominant bullpen, the Samurai closed out the series with a 3-1 victory in Game Six at Tokyo’s SkyDome, cementing Japan’s place at the pinnacle of the sport’s new international era.
This World Series represents a landmark in baseball’s transformation from an American-dominated league to a truly global championship. For over a century, the Fall Classic was exclusively contested by Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. That changed in the 2030s, when rising international talent and the sport’s surging popularity in Asia and Latin America led to the formation of the International Baseball Championship (IBC). Now, the best teams from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), South Korea’s KBO League, and Latin America’s Super Liga de Béisbol compete alongside MLB teams for a chance at the title.
A Hard-Fought Series
The 2050 World Series featured an electric showdown between the Dodgers, managed by longtime skipper Dave Roberts, and the Samurai, who powered through the International League playoffs after eliminating the Seoul Dragons in the semifinals.
Tokyo’s ace, 26-year-old Riku Matsuyama, dominated the season with a league-best 1.74 ERA, thanks in large part to his signature pitch—the Tsunami. The hybrid splitter-slider baffled hitters throughout the season, crashing into the strike zone with unpredictable movement. His dominance continued in the postseason, where he carried the Samurai to their first World Series berth.
On the Dodgers’ side, baseball legend Shohei Ohtani—now 55 and serving as the team’s hitting coach—played a key role in mentoring rising star Luis “El Huracán” Rodríguez, a rare two-way player who hit 47 home runs while posting a 2.89 ERA as a pitcher.
The series opened in Tokyo with Matsuyama setting the tone, striking out 12 Dodgers in a Game One victory. The Dodgers responded when Rodríguez crushed a game-winning home run in Los Angeles, tying the series at two games apiece. As the teams battled back and forth, it became clear that this matchup would go down in baseball history.
Tokyo Claims the Crown
With the Samurai leading the series 3-2 heading into Game Six, the sold-out Tokyo crowd witnessed one of the most dominant pitching performances in World Series history. Matsuyama took the mound and never looked back, striking out 12 Dodgers in a complete-game shutout. His final pitch—a perfectly executed Tsunami—froze Rodríguez at the plate, sealing the victory and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
As fireworks erupted over SkyDome, Commissioner Mike Trout—himself a former MLB superstar—presented the championship trophy to the Samurai, recognizing their historic achievement.
“This is more than just a championship for Tokyo,” Samurai manager Koji Nakamura said. “This is a championship for all of Japan, and for baseball’s new global era.”
The Future of the International Game
With baseball’s expansion beyond the United States, the 2050 season has showcased just how much the game has changed. The Samurai’s triumph comes just weeks after another international powerhouse, the Mexico City Aguilas, reached the International League semifinals before falling to Tokyo. As more international teams compete at the highest level, it’s clear that the sport’s landscape will never be the same.
For Ohtani, who decades earlier helped bridge the gap between Japan and MLB, watching Tokyo claim the World Series title was a full-circle moment.
“This is what baseball was always meant to be,” Ohtani said. “A game for the whole world.”