Was the 2014 MLB Japan All-Star Series successful?

2014 Japan All-Star Series logo
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A Major League Baseball All-Star Team traveled and played an All-Star Series against the Japanese National Team, called Samurai Japan over a ten day stretch that ended last week. The MLB All-Star Team played seven games, six against Samurai Japan (five competitive and one exhibition game) and one against a combined Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants team. Samurai Japan also played an exhibition against a combined Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters team. In the competitive games, the MLB All-Star Team lost the series three games to two. The games, played in six different stadiums, drew great crowds. The question is, was the MLB Japan All-Star Series successful

For the Japanese National Team and Japan, it was the equivalent of a no doubt homer. The National Team got in six games against great competition that will no doubt help them when the World Baseball Classic rolls around in 2017, which was their hope. Also, they won the series, beating the MLB All-Stars in three series games and a final exhibition. Any time a tema can beat a team of MLB players, the winning team's confidence grows.

Not only did they win the series, they also no-hit the All-Stars in the Game 3 of the series. Pitchers Takahiro Norimoto, Yuki Nishi, Kazuhisa Makita, and Yuji Nashino combined to throw nine innings of no-hit ball with 13 strikeouts and only three walks. That game was the highlight of the Series for Japan.

The attendance at the games was good, with the Game 2, 3, and 4 of the Series having the best crowds; all four games were at the Tokyo Dome, the country's most famous baseball stadium. The crowds of the some of the games could have been better, but it did not help that Japan won the series in three games. The Japanese baseball fans are some of the best in the world and deserved to get to see MLB players live. And they showed up in large numbers.

Now, on the Major Leaguers side, where the answer is not so black-and-white. Losing to Samauri Japan does not help the case for the trip being successful. MLB had made ten trips to Japan before this year and lost only one of those series.

Evan Longoria and Carlos Santana
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However, very few of MLB's best players went to Japan. Of the 62 players at this year's All-Star Game, only four made the trip: Jose Altuve, Robinson Cano, Salvador Perez, and Yasiel Puig. While there were some former All-Stars, rising stars, and very good players who went to Japan (f.e. Chris Carter, Hisashi Iwakuma Evan Longoria, Carlos Santana, and Matt Shoemaker), only a few of the game's best attended. If a few more of the greats in the MLB made the trip, I think they would have won the Series. 

The one huge problem with losing the series is that it ruins MLB's brand. You cannot claim to be the best baseball league in the world when your All-Star team loses to other leagues (even if few All-Stars attended). While few Americans will remember the Series by next July, the Series will be remembered in Japan and it will affect Major League Baseball's brand there.

In conclusion, the MLB All-Star Series was a major success for Japan, while it was a borderline success for the MLB. While all signs point to the trip being a failure for the MLB, the players did get some good work in and represented the league very well. Also, it is tough being the team to travel across the world. If there is a next time, however, the MLB All-Star team will need a series win to call the trip a success.