The hits just keep coming for Major League Baseball.
After Fanatics’ limited-edition collection of Takashi Murakami-inspired apparel completely sold out in the first hour following the drop’s launch last week, fans are being given another shot at the merchandise. But this collection is even more limited — and expensive.
On Thursday, Fanatics dropped a more elevated selection of the jerseys in the Takashi Murakami x MLB Tokyo Series Collection. Complex commissioned the Japanese contemporary artist to create an assortment of apparel and collectibles for the Tokyo Series games that will be played at the Tokyo Dome between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday and Wednesday. Murakami added vibrant colors and playful motifs to a variety of pieces for both teams, all provided by Fanatics, MLB’s retail partner. The initial drop on March 7 included replica jerseys and a larger assortment of Murakami-inspired products including Nike MLB Limited jerseys, hoodies, T-shirts, hats and accessories. Those jerseys sold for $250.
The latest assortment features Sakura Elite jerseys that sport Murakami’s vibrant colors, floral artwork and other graphics molded into 3-D silicone patches and hand-stitched onto the jerseys. Fewer than 40 of the jerseys were made and about half will be available on the Fanatics app, all individually numbered with patches embroidered onto the jerseys in team fonts. They will retail for $2,000.
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The Dodgers jerseys will all sport the last name of the team’s star, Shohei Ohtani, and his number, 17, while the Cubs jerseys will feature “Tokyo 25” on the back.
Beginning at 1 p.m., fans in the U.S. can enter for a chance to purchase the merchandise on the Fanatics app. The window will remain open until Monday at noon after which customers will be notified if they were chosen to buy the jersey.
In the leadup to the first drop on March 7, nearly 100,000 people downloaded the Fanatics app, driving it to the number-one spot in the iOS sports category.
