Dan Patrick doesn’t want Major League Baseball exporting Opening Day to other countries. The unofficial start of the 2025 MLB season is next Thursday, March 27, following this week’s official kickoff in Tokyo, where MLB hosted opening games for the second consecutive season. The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers played at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
In 2024, ESPN covered the event. This year, Fox Sports took over, although the games received little fanfare stateside, likely because of the early start times at 6 a.m. ET, but they were popular in Japan. Due to scheduling conflicts, Fox didn’t send its main announcers overseas, which led to numerous complaints about the remote broadcast.
Patrick’s concerns go beyond the quality of the broadcast; he focuses on the very idea of exporting Opening Day. “Do I want us exporting Opening Day? I don’t. I understand its business,” he said on his The Dan Patrick Show. “Certainly, with the Dodgers and their roster, whether it’s Korea or Japan—I get it. I understand it. I don’t like it, but I understand it. Ten years ago, five years ago, I remember the Yankees went over there. How about we think of the players? You’re in spring training, totally relaxed; now let’s go to Japan, play a couple of games that count, and then come back and chill again. It’s tough to manage your staff and pitching.”
“Again, I know it’s business. The Dodgers have a deep player pipeline; I get all that. I don’t think fans in Japan would be upset if you said, ‘We’re going to play two spring training games over there.’ Just having Shohei Ohtani and other Japanese players would be sufficient. We don’t need to hold Opening Day there. Let’s keep Opening Day here.”
“You can have a faux Opening Day… How about Faux-opening Day? It’s a fake Opening Day, and you play a couple of games with all the pomp and circumstance, then resume spring training. Everyone benefits.” Patrick acknowledges there’s a broader strategy involved but suggests that the execution could be reconsidered. “I know we’re trying to grow the business there. The Dodgers have done a great job, and Japan is a valuable market… But then they resume spring training. They wait for their second Opening Day for both teams. ‘Get off my lawn.’ I know. I know.”
While MLB focuses on global expansion, Patrick believes there’s no justification for sacrificing the tradition and thrill of Opening Day.
