Japanese star Shohei Ohtani showed off some prodigious power in his return to the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.

The Tokyo Series and its celebration of Shohei Ohtani begins this week in a festive atmosphere.

It's the World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Tokyo Dome to start the Major League Baseball season.

The spotlight will be on slugger Shohei Ohtani this week when the superstar returns to Japan and leads the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs in the first two games of the Major League Baseball season at the Tokyo Dome.

Hundreds of fans at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport lined up 10 deep and hoping to catch a glimpse of Shohei Ohtani as he arrived.

Shohei Ohtani begins his second season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in his native Japan, taking on the Chicago Cubs in a pair of games at the Tokyo Dome.

Shohei Ohtani’s bat is ready for the Los Angeles Dodgers while Shota Imanaga has looked good on the mound for the Chicago Cubs with less than 10 days remaining before baseball's regular-season opener in Japan.

The New York Mets led the major leagues in spending for the third straight season in 2024 and have totaled $1.36 billion in payroll and luxury tax over four years under owner Steve Cohen, exceeding what the Marlins, Pirates and Rays each have spent on players in the past 21 seasons.

Roki Sasaki has pitched three scoreless innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers in his spring training debut against the Cincinnati Reds.

Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani hit a solo home run in his first spring training plate appearance following offseason shoulder surgery.

Takashi Murakami’s artwork has graced luxury goods from top fashion houses and album covers of superstar musicians.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani will make his first spring training appearance of the year on Friday night.

The Los Angeles Dodgers owe $1.051 billion in deferred pay to eight players from 2028-46 following Tanner Scott’s $72 million, four-year contract and Teoscar Hernández’s $66 million, three-year deal.

Japanese phenom pitcher Roki Sasaki has revealed that he is married.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Cody Poteet believed the 95 mph fastball he threw to Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Max Muncy was in the strike zone.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has praised the Los Angeles Dodgers for their big-spending ways.

Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki threw 27 pitches over two innings of live batting practice at Camelback Ranch in front of hundreds of fans and several teammates.

Shohei Ohtani threw his second bullpen session of spring training on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani threw his first bullpen of spring training on Saturday, taking a step toward possibly pitching for the first time since 2023.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki are the likely starting pitchers for the Los Angeles Dodgers when they face the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo next month, according to manager Dave Roberts.

There’s a new No. 2 in the New York Yankees’ rotation behind Gerrit Cole.

The Los Angeles Dodgers went through a light workout and most of the usual superstars were out on the field, including National League MVP Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts.

Spring training workouts start Sunday with the Los Angeles Dodgers trying to become the first repeat champion since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000.

The former interpreter for Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison.

Umpire Pat Hoberg is the latest professional sports figure caught in a betting scandal.

Shohei Ohtani pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers in May sounds “about right.”.

Max Scherzer is joining the Toronto Blue Jays, agreeing to a $15.5 million, one-year contract, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal.

Reliever Tanner Scott’s $72 million, four-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers includes $21 million in deferred salaries.

Federal prosecutors say a nearly four-minute audio recording allegedly captured Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara impersonating the baseball star on a call with a bank as he attempted to transfer $200,000.

Reliever Tanner Scott’s $72 million, four-year contract has been finalized by the Los Angeles Dodgers, raising the World Series champions’ offseason spending to $452 million on eight players.

The Dodgers have introduced prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who agreed to a minor league contract with a $6.5 million signing bonus.

Shohei Ohtani and his wife Mamiko Tanaka are expecting their first child.

The Toronto Blue Jays have finally landed a high-profile free agent, agreeing to a $92.5 million, five-year contract with Anthony Santander.

Ichiro Suzuki is all about baseball, but he is much more than that at home in Japan.

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes is focused on helping his team make the playoffs in 2025, not his long-term future.

Young Japanese flamethrower Roki Sasaki said on Instagram that he's signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving the defending World Series champions even more star power entering 2025.

Prized Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki says in an Instagram post he intends to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is donating $500,000 to help firefighters and others affected by the area's deadly wildfires.

Hoping to become a two-way player in Major League Baseball just like Shohei Ohtani, 18-year-old Shotaro Morii made the rare decision to bypass Japanese professional baseball entirely and agreed to a minor league contract with the Athletics that includes a signing bonus of $1,510,500.

Roki Sasaki can sign with Major League Baseball teams during a nine-day window starting Wednesday, an unusual free agency that caused a domino effect among Latin American teenagers whose unofficial agreements are on hold pending his decision.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays avoided a salary arbitration hearing when the first baseman agreed to a $28.5 million, one-year contract on the day players and teams exchanged proposed figures.

Shohei Ohtani is adding a newcomer to his family lineup.

Teoscar Hernández is headed back to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Detroit Tigers have signed former New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres to a $15 million, one-year contract.

Shohei Ohtani has been named The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the third time.

The Los Angeles Dodgers topped a record nine teams owing Major League Baseball’s luxury tax this year with an unprecedented $103 million penalty.

Patrick Mahomes threw a walk-off pass to win the Super Bowl.

Freddie Freeman’s historic walk-off grand slam ball from Game 1 of the World Series has sold for $1.56 million at auction.

The New York Mets wanted Juan Soto to know his future with them could be set in stone.

Juan Soto gets free use of a luxury suite and up to four premium tickets behind home plate for regular-season and postseason New York Mets home games as part of his record $765 million, 15-year contract.

For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter, with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that’s the richest in baseball history.

Shohei Ohtani is expected to be ready to hit when the reigning World Series champions open their season in Japan against the Chicago Cubs in March but is doubtful to pitch.

Juan Soto and the New York Mets agreed to a record $765 million, 15-year contract Sunday night, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.

A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that star outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets have agreed to a record $765 million, 15-year contract.

Deciding whether Juan Soto tops Shohei Ohtani for baseball’s largest contract could be in the eye of the beholder because of all the deferred money in Ohtani’s deal.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts joked that Shohei Ohtani may still owe him a new Porsche, which the Japanese superstar seemed to hint at early in 2024 season.

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell says it was a really easy decision to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Baseball star Shohei Ohtani wants his ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money.

Blake Snell has agreed to a $182 million, five-year contract with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations.

Juan Soto appears on a timetable to decide on where to sign either before or during baseball’s winter meetings in Dallas, which start Sunday and run until Dec. 12.

Shohei Ohtani is going to save the newspaper industry in Japan — singlehandedly.

Shohei Ohtani is in the early stages of rehabilitation from left shoulder surgery after the World Series.

Shohei Ohtani won his third Most Valuable Player Award and first in the National League, and Aaron Judge earned his second American League honor on Thursday.

Left-handers Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox have been selected Major League Baseball’s Comeback Players of the Year.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is a finalist for his first National League MVP award after winning the AL honor twice, joined among the top three in NL voting by New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte.

The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t counting on Shohei Ohtani to pitch at the start of next season and will wait to see how his rehabilitation progresses following shoulder surgery on his non-throwing arm.

For a World Series that was supposed to feature an epic battle between sluggers Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, guys like Mark Leiter Jr., Luke Weaver, Alex Vesia and Anthony Banda sure got a lot of face time.

Agent Scott Boras indicated Juan Soto may be seeking to top Shohei Ohtani’s record $700 million contract because he is three years younger than the Japanese two-way star was when he reached his deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Shohei Ohtani had arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday to repair a labrum tear in his left shoulder, following an injury the Los Angeles Dodgers star suffered during Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 26.

The Los Angeles Dodgers spent big last offseason before winning big this postseason, taking home a World Series title after committing more than $1 billion on players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Teoscar Hernández.

Shohei Ohtani's dog, Decoy, made an appearance at the World Series victory parade.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have celebrated their eighth World Series championship with a downtown parade and a stadium gathering featuring Shohei Ohtani and other star players.

The Los Angeles Dodgers spent big bucks to beef up their roster with the additions of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto this season.

The World Series trophy is headed to Los Angeles, but there’s a hearty celebration going on across the Pacific Ocean in Japan, too.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won their second World Series championship in five seasons, overcoming a five-run deficit with the help of three Yankees defensive miscues and rallying on sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts in the eighth inning to beat New York 7-6 in Game 5.

Shohei Ohtani’s hometown in northern Japan is a rural place, famous for its high-quality Maesawa beef, its history of making traditional ironware and the intense green hills and mountains that surround it.

Freddie Freeman homered for the third straight game and Walker Buehler pitched another World Series gem as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 4-2 for a 3-0 lead in the Fall Classic.

Freddie Freeman tied George Springer’s record of homering in five straight World Series games, hitting a two-run drive off the New York Yankees’ Clarke Schmidt in the first inning to put the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead 2-0 in World Series Game 3.

Hundreds of fans filed into a public viewing center in Shohei Ohtani’s hometown in northern Japan on Tuesday morning to cheer the country’s top celebrity in Game 3 of the World Series.

Shohei Ohtani was 0 for 3 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch, remaining in the lineup after dislocating a shoulder as the Los Angeles Dodgers took a 3-0 World Series lead over the New York Yankees with a 4-2 victory.

Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees need to start hitting if they’re going to climb back into this World Series.

Shohei Ohtani is set to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium on Monday night despite a partially dislocated left shoulder, according to manager Dave Roberts.

Aaron Judge is sinking ever deeper into a gruesome postseason slump, and the New York Yankees’ championship chances are fading right along with him.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed one hit over 6 1/3 innings, Freddie Freeman homered for the second straight night and the Los Angeles Dodgers hit three early longballs off Carlos Rodón to beat the New York Yankees 4-2 for a 2-0 lead in the World Series.

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani partially dislocated his left shoulder during the seventh inning of Saturday’s Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees when he tried to steal second base.

Aaron Boone has one regret about his pitching decisions during Game 1 of the World Series Friday night.

Nestor Cortes was so happy to reach the World Series, he was willing to sacrifice his elbow and perhaps millions of dollars.

Although Shohei Ohtani’s first trip to the World Series is a global sports event, it’s particularly big in Japan — and for Japan.

The race was on to reach Shohei Ohtani first.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees will play Major League Baseball's starriest World Series in decades.

Television ratings in Japan have set records as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani have reached the World Series against the New York Yankees.

Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball has sold at auction for nearly $4.4 million, a record high price not just for a baseball, but for any ball in any sport.

Sometimes, it really does help to have all that money.

The World Series is always the goal for the big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers.

Shohei Ohtani got what he came for when he decided to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers: a trip to the World Series.

New York neighbors who became cross-country rivals, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are renewing their starry struggle in the World Series for the first time in 43 years.

Tommy Edman and Will Smith homered to send Shohei Ohtani into the World Series for the first time, and the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the New York Mets with a 10-5 victory in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.

The online auction for Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball has just four days remaining, with the highest bid now at $1.8 million.

Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer and scored four times, Mookie Betts also went deep and drove in four runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the New York Mets 10-2 for a 3-1 lead in their lopsided National League Championship Series.

Shohei Ohtani homered against Jose Quintana leading off Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, putting the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the New York Mets.