The Chicago Cubs revealed they'll be taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo next season with a promotional video that has since gone viral for its emotional storytelling.
Both teams feature Japanese stars in Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imagana for the Cubs, and global phenomenon Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers.
In the promo, the Cubs encapsulated what this moment will mean for children in Japan who will have a chance to watch their homegrown heroes player baseball in front of a world-wide audience.
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The video flashes back to Suzuki and Ohtani as children coming home from baseball practice in the year 2000. In a split screen, their mothers prepare dinner as they sit glued to the television watching the Cubs play the Mets on Opening Day at the Tokyo Dome.
"Keep practicing, and someday that could be you," the fathers say simultaneously.
Both boys nod in unison.
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The video captured the attention of fans and media, who unanimously praised the Cubs for the ad's heartfelt symbolism.
This will be the sixth time in history the league opens its regular season in Tokyo. The Cubs own a piece of that history as the first team, along with the Mets, to play an MLB game in Japan.
There’s also a chance Ohtani, who underwent elbow surgery last year, will be ready to pitch by Opening Day, adding another layer of anticipation for the two-game series at the Tokyo Dome.