Shohei Ohtani is going for his first time in the World Series. While it seemed the New York Mets, with regained momentum, would beat the LA Dodgers and steal their way into the World Series, the latter finally pulled through, And now, what every baseball fan wanted has arrived – the Dodgers vs Yankees clash. Derek Jeter best described it as a dream world series. Indeed, watching the Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge show has been a dream in the making for many.

This is the first time that the Japanese player and Judge himself are at the World Series. However, the competition, though fierce, isn’t dirty. In fact, Aaron Judge didn’t shy away from praising Ohtani recently, noting that the Dodgers star’s 50-50 achievement should have been talked about more. He even went on to call Ohtani the best player in the world; Ohtani, too, didn’t hesitate to compliment Judge and the Yankees.

Shohei Ohtani has his eye on the final prize

After defeating the New York Mets 10-5, in Game 6 to win the NLCS Series, Shohei Ohtani was more than thrilled to make it to the World Series. They would have celebrated earlier if Game 5 had gone well; but better late than never, the Dodgers shone on Sunday. It’s a place Ohtani has been wanting to play for a long time, which he admitted while being doused with champagne after that epic win. And now, he has his sights forward! When asked about the Yankees, Ohtani admitted that New York’s lineup is strong, especially with Judge.

 “You know two really good teams competing against each other you know obviously Judge is a really good player but so is Soto and a lot of the players on the Yankees team, said Shohei Ohtani said while explaining how the entire team will be needed to win the series. Well, historically speaking, whenever it was a Yankees vs Dodgers game, the Yanks have had the upper hand, so, he isn’t wrong, it’s going to take immense effort to break that cycle. And for Ohtani, finishing this season strong is all that matters. 

Playoff viewership surges as the World Series eyes a revival

Baseball is dying, many have come and said this over the years. But is it? Well, there was a time when millions of people watched the games, like a cultural event almost. Take, for example, the New York Yankees and Dodger game itself in 1978, where 40 million people watched a peak in baseball popularity. Since then, the World Series has been bleeding dry, losing viewers drop by drop, slower at first and dramatically in recent years.

The 2023 World Series hit an all-time low in the viewership, not even reaching 20 million since 2016. This rate of fall was alarming, as it showed that consumers were not interested, but also that with more entertainment options, traditional sports started taking a backseat. But then, came the twist – this October, the MLB playoffs have seen a spike of 20% in terms of viewership. The games are more interesting because of teams and players like the Yankees, LA Dodgers Ohtani, and Judge.

That’s giving more hope that the World Series’ numbers will double the last year’s engagement. Plus, with top Japanese players like Ohtani and Yamamoto in the field, the global audience is tuning in too. Do you think the viewership will skyrocket this time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.