Even if you aren’t plugged into the baseball world, you probably know the name Shohehi Ohtani. The star of the Los Angeles Dodgers has had a historic year that will culminate in his first World Series appearance since he joined the MLB in 2018. Ohtani’s immense talent has boosted baseball’s viewership in America, and in his home country of Japan. It’s there where, with the World Series set to begin on October 25, the Ohtani obsession has reached such a fever that the premier of One Piece’s new season will be delayed so Japanese viewers can see Shohei take on the New York Yankees.
One Piece fans have been looking forward to the release of One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga, a re-edited and updated version of the oft-derided arc from the anime, for a while, with the first episode originally set to air on October 27. But as announced in an official post on Crunchyroll, the team has delayed the premiere because it conflicts with the live broadcast of game two of the World Series. While One Piece is big, it seems Shohei Ohtani is bigger.
For those unfamiliar with baseball, Ohtani has delivered one of the best seasons we’ve seen in a while. The designated hitter invented the 50/50 club this year, an acknowledgment of 50 stolen bases and 50 home runs in a single season, helping the Dodgers come out ahead as the number one team in the National League ahead of the playoffs. Ohtani and the Dodgers then managed to beat the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets (don’t talk to me about it, I’m still sad) in order to clinch a spot in the World Series—the team’s first appearance since winning the series in 2020. At this point, it’s all but assured that Ohtani will take home the MLB MVP award for the year, but he wants a championship title as well.
Ohtani, who played in Japan’s Nippon Professional League from 2013-2017, was already a star back home, and the country has been tuning in to see his incredible MLB season. The pivotal fifth game between the Dodgers and the Padres pulled in a record 12.9 million Japanese viewers, nearly ten percent of the country’s population, and almost double the American viewership. The World Series numbers are sure to be even bigger.
The new premiere date for One Piece’s upcoming season will be November 3. If the World Series goes to game seven that would conflict with the biggest game of baseball of the year. Let’s all just hope the Dodgers clinch the championship in six, because there’s no way I’m rooting for the Yankees.
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