(Bloomberg) -- World Series Game 2 was more popular with TV audiences in Japan than the US.
The second game of the series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees attracted an average of 15.9 million viewers in Japan, around 12% of the population. That compares with 13.8 million in the US, according to statistics released by Major League Baseball and Fox Corp.’s sports division. The US has about 346 million people.
The most-watched MLB postseason game ever in Japan, the Oct. 26 game featured two Japanese superstars on the Dodgers, who beat the Yankees 4-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, signed by the Dodgers for $325 million over 12 years, allowed just one hit in a little over six innings. His teammate Shohei Ohtani, the pitcher-slugger who signed a $700 million, 10-year contract with the franchise last year, played designated hitter. Ohtani injured his shoulder while attempting to steal second base during the seventh inning, but is still expected to play in Game 3 on Monday.
Game 1 of the championship drew 14.4 million viewers in Japan, compared with 15.2 million in the US. The World Series games have been airing at 9 a.m. in Japan, with viewers tuning in over breakfast.
The high-profile match-up between the Yankees and Dodgers has been hailed as a ratings boon by Fox Sports, which is airing the games in the US. The network said in a social media post on Monday that viewership for the first two games was the highest since 2017, when the Dodgers lost to the Houston Astros.
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