Dodgers, Cubs open MLB season with two-game ‘Tokyo Series’

• The 2025 Major League Baseball season begins at 6 a.m. EST with the “Tokyo Series” in Japan. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs will play two games before returning to the U.S.
• The Dodgers and Cubs feature five current players born in Japan, including NL’s most valuable player, Shohei Ohtani.
• Pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers) and Shota Imanaga (Cubs) will be the first Japanese starters to face each other on Opening Day.

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The first pitch for the 2025 baseball season is about to be thrown if you’re ready to wake up in the wee hours of the morning. The World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the Chicago Cubs in the Tokyo Series.

Why is the ‘Tokyo Series’ a big deal for MLB?

The Dodgers and Cubs have been in Japan for nearly a week preparing for the season-opening two-game series. The series will count in the standings as the teams play meaningful games a full ten days before the rest of Major League Baseball.

Both teams have continued their spring training workouts and played exhibition games against teams from the Japanese league in front of a baseball-crazy packed house at the Tokyo Dome. Major League Baseball made no secret of its desire to become a globally popular sport.

“I feel like it was one of those things that embracing the culture that you’re playing in, and I mean, yesterday was just practice, and we got close to 25,000 people here at the stadium, and I mean this is an amazing place to play,” Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas said. “I feel like the tradition and the history behind just this Dome is pretty cool, and I mean, I’m just grateful for the opportunity to be here.”

Who are some of the big names playing in the series?

Rojas will likely be the Dodgers’ starting shortstop in both games. Star Mookie Betts is recovering from an illness that caused him to lose 15 pounds during the trip and has been ruled out.

There is also a massive amount of star power on both rosters that just happen to be from the host nation. They include Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga, outfielder Seiya Suzuki, Dodgers pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and rookie Roki Sasaki. And, of course, the biggest mega-star of them all, Shohei Ohtani, will also play in the series. Friday, March 14, Ohtani was asked about Japanese players making their mark in the United States.

“It’s hard to tell if this is the golden age of Japanese players here in the United States because I know there have been a lot of Japanese players that came before me, but having five (in the game) is a big deal, and it’s truly a big deal,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.

What has the trip to Japan been like for U.S. players?

For U.S. players, just being in Japan for a full week has been well worth the trip. The Cubs will get first crack at the defending champions. Players have said the trip brought the team closer together, even if it has been a bit of an adjustment, according to manager Craig Counsell.

“I think the first thing you learn is that, like, athletes eat a lot, they eat a lot, they eat more than you think. So, when the food is different, they complain, unfortunately. But they, you know, they need to eat so they need to get adventurous and that’s what this trip has kind of forced them to do,” Counsell said. “Again, we talk a lot about, like, get out of your comfort zone, and that’s where the good things happen, so the food part for a lot of these guys is where it’s happened, and that’s, I think that’s a relatable story for anybody that spends some time in a different culture.”

Those players will return to their comfort zone at 6 a.m. EST time Tuesday, March 15, for the first ballgame of the 2025 season. Starting pitchers Shota Imanaga and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will also make history. They will become the first Japanese pitchers to start against each other on Opening Day.