LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 The field at Dodger Stadium has a sponsor name for the first time in the history of the third-oldest ballpark in the major leagues.<\/p>\n
Uniqlo Field was unveiled Wednesday on the eve of the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> opening their bid for a third straight World Series championship. They begin the season Thursday by hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series.<\/p>\n Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a>, the star of World Series Game 7, starts for the Dodgers. He is among three Japanese stars on the team, along with Shohei Ohtani<\/a> and Roki Sasaki<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery one of us has become fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers because of the outstanding performances of Japanese players,\u201d company founder Tadashi Yanai said through a translator.<\/p>\n Uniqlo is a Japan-based apparel retailer with over 2,400 stores, including a strong presence in its home country, Asia, Europe and Canada. It has nearly 80 U.S. stores, primarily in malls, with aggressive expansion plans.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the first major sports sponsorship for Uniqlo in the U.S., and took nearly a year to negotiate, according to Koji Yanai, senior executive officer for Fast Retailing, the parent company of Uniqlo. He is the son of Tadashi Yanai, known as Japan\u2019s richest man with a net worth of nearly $62 billion. <\/p>\n The deal places Uniqlo\u2019s red-and-white signage in various locations around the stadium, including the batter\u2019s eye in center field, on the facade beneath the press box and on the grass along the baselines.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope in the near future fans will like it and love it,\u201d Koji Yanai said.<\/p>\n A Japanese reporter asked whether a batter would get anything for hitting the sign in center field. The Dodgers famously at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn had a sign under the scoreboard on the right-center field wall from 1931-57 that read: \u201cHit sign, win suit.\u201d The ad was placed by Abe Stark, a clothing store owner who went on to become Brooklyn Borough President.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very good idea I was just given,\u201d Koji Yanai said through a translator.<\/p>\n Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten added, \u201cWe like that idea, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Tadashi Yanai said providing Dodgers players with clothing is \u201cnot that easy\u201d because of conflicting sponsorship deals. \u201cBut probably we can provide them with everyday clothing,\u201d he said through a translator. <\/p>\n Kasten piped up, saying, \u201cWe pay them enough to shop at Uniqlo stores.\u201d<\/p>\n Dodgers fans are used to seeing the names of Japanese sponsors like Tokyo Electron, All Nippon Airways and Yakult in the outfield. The team has catered to Asian fans in particular since the arrival of Ohtani before the 2024 season.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been thrilled with the reaction I got from fans,\u201d Kasten said.<\/p>\n The Dodgers presented Tadashi Yanai with a home plate signed by the players in what Kasten called a symbol of the retailer\u2019s new home.<\/p>\n Among the retailer\u2019s plans at the stadium, which opened in 1962, is a special corner inside team apparel stores and a June 21 event in which fans will receive an item of LifeWear clothing. A social contribution program launches in late May. <\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n This story corrects the spelling to Yanai, instead of Lanai.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n