Dating back to 1986, Major League Baseball has irregularly participated in an event coined as the MLB Japan All-Star Series. Besides the 1994 Players Strike, the event used to take every two years from 1986 to 2006. Following an eight-year hiatus, the series returned in 2014. Fast forward another four years, and the series will again take place across Japan from November 8th through November 15th.
Numerous high-profile players familiar to fans in the United States have participated in the event since its inception like Barry Bonds, Hideki Matsui, David Ortiz, Kazuo Matsui, Vernon Wells, Ichiro Suzuki, Sammy Sosa, and Jose Altuve.