The New York Yankees are taking on more than the Los Angeles Dodgers in truly a World Series.

The 2024 Dodgers are led by three men 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in Japan. Everybody knows about uber-slugger Shohei Ohtani. Most fans have come to know right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The most integral part of the Dodgers’ success also hails from Japan. Manager Dave Roberts.

NEW YORK: Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run … [+]

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Ohtani’s exploits are legendary. Yamamoto made an impact in his first season in Major League Baseball this year though he didn’t come close to matching the hype he got upon signing a 12-year, $325 million contract last December. That was a few days after Ohtani’s record 10-year $700 million deal.

Now, The Billionaire Brothers are taking on the mighty Yankees, who are seeking a 28th championship – but first since 2009. The Dodgers duo will make it 15 former Japanese pro players to get to a World Series, including two who won it all in Yankees pinᵴtriƥes.

The Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Venezuela also have players on 40-man rosters of the 2024 World Series foes.

M-V-P, M-V-P!

That’s the chant Yanks fans yell when Aaron Judge steps up to bat and Dodgers fans scream when Ohtani steps onto the field.

Judge hit .322 with 58 homers and 144 RBI. Incredibly, Ohtani may have been better. In his first year in Dodger Blue, he became the first player ever with 50+ home runs and stolen bases in a season. The 30-year-old batted.310 with 54 homers, 59 steals (in 63 tries), along with 134 runs and 130 RBI.

The M-V-P chant was heard in New York in 2009 for the only Japanese player to be named World Series MVP. Hideki Matsui got the award after batting .615 (8-for-13) with 3 homers and 8 RBI as the Yankees defeated the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies in six games.

NEW YORK: Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees hits a 2-run home run in the second inning against … [+]

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In Game 1, Matsui singled and homered off future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez in a 3-1 win. In Game 3, he hit a pinch-hit homer off reliever Brett Myers in an 8-5 victory.

In Game 6, he had a two-run homer and two-run single off Martinez, along with a two-run double off reliever J.A. Happ in a 7-3 triumph.

The First Winner

Hideki Irabu was the first Japanese player to win a World Series championship ring. He was with the Yankees’ title teams in 1998 and 1999 but didn’t pitch in either series. During the regular season in those years, he had records of 13-9 and 11-7, respectively.

Boston’s Mound Foursome

Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima helped the Boston Red Sox win it all in 2007. Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa did the same in 2013.

Matsuzaka came to America with great fanfare and a pitch he termed a “gyroball”. He became the first Japanese pitcher to win a World Series game when he worked 5 1/3 innings in Game 3. Boston’s batters and bullpen took it from there, beating the Colorado Rockies, 10-5.

DENVER Hideki Okajima, left, and Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox celebrate with the trophy … [+]

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Okajima worked in three games of the sweep, allowing three runs over 3 2/3 innings. The lefty compiled a 17-8 record with 6 saves and a 3.09 ERA in 266 MLB regular-season games, all in relief through 2013.

Following his MVP performance in the 2013 ALCS, Uehara saved two games in the World Series win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Overall in 13 appearances and 13 2/3 innings that fall, he gave up 1 run, 7 hits, and zero walks while striking out 16 and earning 7 saves.

Tazawa was just as strong in a setup role over 13 post-season games that year, giving up 1 run, 1 walk and fanning 6 over 7 1/3 innings.

The Others

The first Japanese player to appear in a World Series was San Francisco Giants outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo. He went 1-for-3 as the designated hitter in Game 1 in 2002. The Giants lost to the Anaheim Angels in seven games.

Norichika Aoki received a ring from the Houston Astros in 2017 even though he had been traded away before the postseason. In the 2014 World Series, he went 1-for-14 for the Kansas City Royals.

SAN FRANCISCO: Norichika Aoki of the Kansas City Royals breaks his bat and grounds into a double … [+]

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So Taguchi hit .200 (3-for-15) for the St, Louis Cardinals in the 2004 and 2006 World Series. He was on Philadelphia’s 2008 title team but did not play in the World Series that year.

Rookie second baseman Tadahito Iguchi won the World Series in 2005 with the Chicago White Sox. He hit .167 (3-for-18).

Kazuo Matsui hit .294 for the Rockies in the 2007 World Series loss to Boston. In 2013, he won the Japan Series as captain of the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles.

Akinori Iwamura hit .263 (5-for-19) as an infielder for Tampa Bay in the 2008 World Series loss to Philadelphia.

The last Japanese player in the World Series was Yoshi Tsutsugo with the Rays in 2020. He went 0-for-3 in a six-game loss to the Dodgers.

Winning As Player & Manager

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ father was a Marine stationed in Okinawa. He married a Japanese lady and so David Ray Roberts was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 there in 1972.

BOSTON: Dave Roberts of the Boston Red Sox steals second base ahead of the tag by New York Yankees … [+]

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Roberts never played in a World Series, but was integral to Boston’s historic championship in 2004. The Red Sox lost the first three games of the ALCS to the Yankees and were trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Roberts, who had gone 38-for-41 in steal attempts in the regular season, pinch ran. He stole second and scored on a single to tie it.

The Red Sox won that game in 12 innings, added three more incredible wins and then beat St. Louis for their first World Series title in 86 years. Roberts watched.

As manager, he is in the Fall Classic for the fourth time. The Dodgers lost to Houston in 2017 and Boston in 2018 before toppling Tampa Bay in 2020.