It’s Kon’nichiwa! from Japan as the MLB Regular Season get underway with the Tokyo Series. Even better, the series will feature the legendary Chicago Cubs and defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s going to be a beautiful day for a ball game with Wildz Sports!
But that’s not all. The Cubs and Dodgers will also be showcasing their Japanese players Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on home soil. And of course, the main attraction will be 3x league MVP and World Series Champion Shohei “Sho-time” Ohtani. Arguably the greatest current Baseball player (and maybe of all time), Ohtani will play in Japan for the first time since his crosstown switch from the Angels.
Just like overseas games in the NBA and NFL, these MLB regular season games will count on each teams’ win-loss record. But first, there’s a set of four exhibition games against teams from the local Nippon Professional Baseball league. These exhibition fixtures will be:
Cubs vs Hanshin Tigers
Dodgers vs Yomiuri Giants (March 15th)
Dodgers vs Hanshin Tigers
Cubs vs Yomiuri Giants. (March 16th).
Then after that, it’s the main events from the Tokyo Dome.
It’s no surprise that the Dodgers (+275) are many people’s favourites to repeat as champions. With a supporting cast including Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw and Freddie Freeman, it’s hard to see past Ohtani and Co.
But outside of Los Angeles, perhaps the better value lies in the Big Apple. After making the switch from the Yankees, can Juan Soto make the New York Mets (+1,100) great again? A dizzying 15-year, $765 million contract (yes, you read that right) means that the franchise from Queens will be hoping that’s the case.
And what about those illustrious, pin-striped New York Yankees (+860)? Can Aaron Judge finally deliver a title for the Bronx-based franchise? For that to happen, he’ll need the likes of Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger to step, especially in the Playoffs.
Fresh from being swept by the Padres in last year’s Wild Card Series, the Atlanta Braves (+860) represent great value. Having let Max Fried get the bag from the Yankees, the Braves still boast the likes of Ronald Acuna Jr, Marcell Ozuna and Drake Baldwin. Despite a quiet offseason on the trade front, the Atlanta franchise will be hoping it’s the moves they haven’t made that will count.
Finally, how about our nation’s very own Toronto Blue Jays? While the Queen City can forget about hosting a Championship parade any time soon, the ‘Jays could be good value to make the Playoffs (+270). Be sure to cheer on Max Scherzer and Co. as they aim to improve on last season’s 74–88 record.
What’s better than a home run? Watching the home run leader chase. At Wildz Sports, we’ve the usual suspects Judge (+400), Ohtani (+640) and Fernando Tatis Jr (+1,800) covered. And in the race for MVP, we’ve got Judge (+280), Bobby Witt Jr (+380 and Gunnar Henderson (+660) heading up the American League and Ohtani (+146), Soto (+520) and Tatis Jr (+780) as favourites in the National League.
Discover additional betting markets, incl. Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and more on our MLB homepage.
Wildz Sports. Get more.