Next month, MLB's Tokyo Series volition diagnostic 2 teams filled with Japanese superstars, arsenic the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs caput overseas to footwear disconnected their regular play schedule.
To commemorate this infinitesimal successful shot history, renowned Japanese modern creator Takashi Murakami has partnered with MLB and Complex to unveil a historic, limited-edition postulation of merchandise and trading cards done Fanatics' commerce and collectibles divisions.
From exclusively designed jerseys, to Topps trading cards featuring Murakami's signature vibrant colors and floral artwork, this first-of-its-kind offering for shot fans plays into the sport's tremendous pursuing successful Japan, and amended yet, offers them the accidental to beryllium the fortunate finder of a one-of-one signed paper by the country's biggest star.
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Japan is 1 of MLB's premier planetary markets, particularly considering the endowment that is consistently featured connected its shot diamonds each year.
Take Dodgers superstar MVP Shohei Ohtani, for example. His merchandise accounted for 57% of full MLB income crossed the Fanatics web successful Japan, including the MLB Store JP. When the Dodgers signed Ohtani to a then-record $700 cardinal deal, a much than 2,000% summation twelvemonth implicit twelvemonth was seen successful the aforesaid Fanatics network.
And past there's the trading paper assemblage of the game, which has skyrocketed from $1.5 cardinal successful income successful 2021 successful Japan, to $22.6 cardinal successful 2024. That brings america to possibly the rarest of the full collection.
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Topps, the signature sports trading paper marque owned by Fanatics Collectibles, volition person a dual-autograph paper successful 1 of its sets from Ohtani and Murakami – a one-of-one card.
We saw what the Pittsburgh Pirates were consenting to springiness up for phenom Paul Skenes' one-of-one paper from Topps recently, and Ohtani's stardom is connected a planetary standard already.
Collectors volition beryllium capable to drawback either a Topps Baseball Series 1 – Tokyo Game Exclusive acceptable ($50 mega box), oregon the Topps x Murakami MLB Tokyo Series Matchup Set ($120 hobby box) to find this one-of-one card.
The Series 1 acceptable volition person Murakami-designed uncommon cards numbered to five, portion the Topps x Murakami Matchup acceptable volition beryllium a 25-card set, exclusively connected complex.com, which volition see different autographed cards and parallels.
As for merchandise, Fanatics volition beryllium offering a wide array of Nike MLB threads similar jerseys, T-shirts, sweatshirts and much designed by Murakami. While Ohtani is the biggest draw, the postulation includes chap Dodger and Japanese prima Yoshinobu Yamamoto, arsenic good arsenic Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
For the Cubs, Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki and Dansby Swanson volition person their ain cogwheel arsenic well.
Finally, Topps volition beryllium connected the crushed successful Tokyo successful the Shibuya territory with a three-floor interactive experiential that volition beryllium unfastened to the nationalist from March 13-16 earlier the archetypal crippled connected March 18. Digital touchscreens volition harvester trading cards and memorabilia astatine the exhibition, and stories astir immoderate of Japan's iconic players, including Class of 2025 Hall of Fame inductee Ichiro Suzuki and World Series-champion Hideki Matsui, arsenic good arsenic existent players, volition beryllium shown.
And of course, Ohtani memorabilia volition devour 1 of those floors entirely, which volition see a game-used bat from the Dodgers' 2024 World Series and a basal from his grounds 50/50 crippled this past season.
This twelvemonth volition commemorate the 25th day of the archetypal regular-season MLB games to beryllium played successful Japan, with the Cubs and New York Mets being the archetypal 2 teams to bash truthful successful 2000.
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