“More than 25 million viewers, the most-watched MLB game in Japan history in Game 1 and 23 million for Game 2. The largest merchandise sales of any MLB international event in history with sales eclipsing $40 million, led by the Shohei Ohtani jersey.”

Chicago Cubs fans take pride in being underdogs, a role that ended briefly when they won the World Series in 2016 to end a 107-year drought between championships.