Shohei Ohtani has returned home as World Series champions, and tickets for the Dodgers’ season opening series in Tokyo are in high demand.
want? The lowest priced tickets available on StubHub as of Wednesday afternoon: next week’s series opener is $1,855. In both cases, it costs $1,352 for the second and final games. By the time you read this, those tickets may not be available.
If you live in Japan, the Dodgers offered shortcuts. You will pay $500 to join the new fan club and secure the right to buy two tickets for one of the games.
The day they signed Otani, the Dodgers declared Dodger Blue their intentions to portray Japan. On the day they signed the Saga Prince, they shared plans for the Japanese Dodgers Fan Club.
“That’s something the Premier League and European football clubs are already doing, and they’re building up international fans,” said Dodgers president Stan Kasten. “We’re starting it and doing a pilot program to see how it’s done.”
For now, the fan club offers four levels of membership. At around $500 per person, the top-level, which sold out with 1,200 members this year, offered the opportunity to purchase two tickets “on a first come, first served” for the Tokyo Series game.
Also, top-level members got what they were billed as “super rare collectors’ items.” This is a ticket with Dodger Stadium stains in the game where the Dodgers won the National League West Championship against the San Diego Padres. Otani scored three hits in that game. This includes doubles against countryman Matsui Yuki.
Other membership levels cost around $120, $100 and $45 per year. Of the four membership levels, the top three include discounts on Dodgers Fan Events in Japan, in addition to Ohtani Bobblehead Dolls and other promotional items. (Ohtani Bobblehead Dolls can sell over $100 on eBay. On the Dodgers website on Wednesday, the cheapest ticket for the first Ohtani Bobblehead night of the season was $132.)
All fan club membership levels include tickets and product discounts for Dodger Stadium.
Officers announced to fans gathered at Haneda Airport that they had waited for the Dodgers to greet the team on Thursday before arriving at another terminal.
(Robert Gautier/Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers are promoting more international sales on StubHub than any other major league team, the company said. The Dodgers tickets this year were purchased by fans from 29 countries outside the US and Canada, but mostly by Japanese fans.
Over the past five years, Otani products have accounted for 57% of total fanatic sales of Japan’s major league baseball products, fanatics said. A year after the Dodgers signed Otani, the company said sales of Dodgers products in Japan have jumped to “more than 2,000%.”
Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolf said he visited several stadiums in Japan with a team store for products from his home team and a kiosk for products from the Dodgers.
In the Tokyo Series, MLB has established a fan festival in Japan, while the Dodgers have set up their own fan festival. The World Series Championship Trophy is on display, with over 200 bobbleheads as well. The exhibition area is dedicated to Otani.
“We’ve only done this in Japan for the first time,” Dodgers Vice President Michael Spetsner told the Japan Times.
The Dodgers’ Japanese fan club is not open to fans outside of Japan. The Dodgers currently do not have a fan club for American fans.
