The Tokyo Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs is a full circle moment for Japanese baseball.

That's a point of pride at home, but also a reason to worry. What happens to baseball in Japan, to the country's pro league, if the stars all leave for the United States? About a dozen Japanese played in MLB last season,

No player in professional baseball history has slugged more home runs than the 868 that Oh hit over 22 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants, the Japanese equivalent of the New York Yankees. “He was almost like a figment of my imagination and like a folk hero,” Roberts said. “A fictional character.”