The Tokyo Series is officially underway, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are already looking as the favorites. They won 16 out of the 23 games played against the Chicago Cubs. While everyone in Japan is excited watching their home-grown players make it big in the Major League, one thing that’s frustrating the American fans is the timing of the Tokyo Series opener.

It’s way too early for the fans in the United States to watch the game at 3.10 a.m. in LA, 5.10 a.m., and 6.10 a.m. in Chicago and New York, respectively. Both games are at 7.10 p.m. in Japan, which means it will be an early morning wakeup call in the United States. Both the games will be aired on FOX Sports. As for the fans, it seems like a ridiculous decision to set that time for a series opener, isn’t it?

Well, fans definitely think so, given that they are lambasting FOX’s decision on the Tokyo series opener. However, it is also true that the FOX announcers won’t be able to experience the live action, as the game is broadcast remotely. Still, the early morning time to watch a game isn’t favorable for the Americans, and that is quite disappointing, to be precise.

Many fans expressed disappointment with the timing and questioned whether the Tokyo Series Opener Decision is all about getting more subscribers on the app. Responding to this, co-host of Good Day Philadelphia on FOX29, Mike Jerrick, said, “No. Network decision. Trying to get more viewers to MLB coverage,” mentioning that there’s nothing to do with the subscriber count. However, he confirmed it is a good way to increase the viewership for the MLB. 

Fans share their reactions to the controversial Tokyo Series opener decision

While the entire America is angry with FOX’s decision to broadcast the game so early in the morning, one user on X expressed his disappointment, calling it disgusting. Mostly people sleep at that time, and now they need to wake up that early just to have a glimpse of their favorite stars-Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and more. Quite disheartening, right?

Another user shed light on the decreasing viewership. It’s true, as there has been a huge decline in MLB viewership overall, even during the World Series Championship. The reason is the restrictions that are put on the way the games are being viewed. The user even cited that the top players aren’t marketed enough, due to which, most people are unaware of them, eventually failing to grab the attention of people in America’s pastime.

Echoing a similar statement, a commenter questioned why the MLB is making it difficult for people to view the game. The Tokyo Series opener is massive, and everyone wants to see it. It should have been a great call by the MLB if the timing was a little bit late, not as early as the current timing. 

One fan came up with a solution, suggesting the Cleveland Guardians to offer an alternative platform for streaming the live game. Cleveland Guardians TV is slated to stream every game—nearly 150 games on CLEGuardians.TV in 2025. Even FOX, ESPN, and other national broadcasts will be available by that streaming app separately. Sand that might be the reason the fan has called for such a plan.

Another ardent fan asked whether the decision was made to gain more subscribers on the FOX app; however, that’s been denied by Mike Jerrick, who revealed that it has been a network decision, to make sure that more people can view the live MLB coverage of the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs. 

So, what’s your take on the controversial Tokyo Series opener decision? Let us know in the comment below.