NLDS Game 5 Between Dodgers, Padres Broke Viewership Records in Japan

With Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yu Darvish taking center stage in the NLDS last week, their loyal fans back in Japan made sure to tune in for the Los Angeles Dodgers' showdown with the San Diego Padres.

Oct 11, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts at bat in the first inning against the San Diego Padres during game five of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Game 5 of the NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres didn't just decide who would face the New York Mets in the NLCS – it also stood out as a landmark moment for Japanese players in MLB history.

So, naturally, fans in Japan were eager to see the decisive showdown.

Rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the mound for the Dodgers, while veteran Yu Darvish served as the Padres' starting pitcher. It was the first-ever playoff matchup between two Japanese-born pitchers, and both aces brought their A-game.

Plus, of course, global superstar Shohei Ohtani was starting at designated hitter for Los Angeles.

The game wound up scoring a 19.2 rating in Japan, the league announced Thursday, averaging 12.9 million viewers despite first pitch coming at 9:08 a.m. Japan Standard Time. That made it the most-viewed MLB postseason game ever in Japan, even outrating the past three times the league had games in Tokyo.

On the whole, Game 5 of the NLDS drew an average global viewership over 20 million.

Record-setting viewership in Japan for the 2024 MLB Postseason. pic.twitter.com/U0ulZW9ru0

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) October 17, 2024

Ohtani didn't do much that night, finishing the contest 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. The historic matchup between Yamamoto and Darvish more than lived up to the billing, though.

Yamamoto tossed 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and one walk to the 17 batters he faced. Darvish gave up a pair of solo home runs in Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández, but he still allowed just three hits and one walk across 6.2 innings of work.

The Dodgers went on to win the contest 2-0, punching their ticket to the NLCS in the process. That gave fans in Japan even more opportunities to see Ohtani and Yamamoto in the MLB playoffs, even if it meant Darvish's season was over.

Ohtani's playoff debut in Game 1 of the NLDS drew a 13.6 rating in Japan, good for an average viewership of 9.1 million. Yamamoto was also pitching that night, also making his MLB postseason debut.

Yamamoto will take the mound again on Thursday for Game 4 of the NLCS. The Dodgers currently lead the series 2-1, thanks in part to Ohtani's massive home run in Game 3 on Wednesday.

First pitch is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET.

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