This year’s World Series will feature a decidedly international flavor (or flavour).

And if the television ratings in the lead up to the Fall Classic serve as any indication, the matchup between Shohei Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Toronto Blue Jays could make a dent in baseball’s ongoing attempts to broaden its reach.

Viewership for the postseason thus far has reached levels unseen since 2017, according to figures released by MLB on Wednesday. With an average of 4.48 million viewers, ratings compared to last postseason have increased by 13 percent.

The MLB Postseason and its international stars are generating record global viewership. pic.twitter.com/8AL8UMzr1Z

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) October 22, 2025

Domestic viewership may have been impacted by a change in methodology. Nielsen, which tracks television ratings, now includes more modern devices in its tracking, an adjustment that has been expected to show higher sports viewership across the board. However, according to MLB, some of the postseason viewership bump overall can also be attributed to a surge of interest in Canada and Japan.

The Blue Jays’ triumph over the Seattle Mariners in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series — a victory that vaulted Canada’s lone team back into the World Series for the first time since 1993 — averaged 15.03 million viewers combined in the U.S. (Fox) and Canada (Sportsnet).

Meanwhile, powered by the Japanese trio of Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, fans tuned into the National League Championship Series in record numbers. The Dodgers’ sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers averaged 7.34 million viewers in Japan, according to MLB, making it the most viewed NLCS in that country. That figure jumped 26 percent over last year’s NLCS, which was the previous record in Japan.

Ohtani’s Game 4 tour de force, during which the superstar clubbed three home runs while striking out 10 to help the Dodgers return to the World Series for a second straight year, was the second-highest viewed league championship game in Japan with 10.26 million viewers.

MLB is hoping that level of international viewership will continue into the Fall Classic.

“This World Series will demonstrate that America’s favorite pastime is also truly a global game,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

Regardless of ratings, the projected World Series will have a decidedly global feel. That begins with the most prominent players on each team: the Japanese-born Ohtani and the Canadian-born Guerrero. The projected rosters would feature 13 players from eight nations and territories: the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Venezuela, Canada and Japan.

Game 1 of the World Series is Friday in Toronto at 8 p.m. ET.