The 2025 MLB season began on Tuesday, March 18 with this years’ rendition of the MLB World Tour. This year, the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers journeyed to Tokyo, Japan, for a two-game series to open up the season. Both teams have deep roots in Japan, with Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki calling the island nation their home while the Cubs boasted two of their own Japanese sensations: Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga. Additionally, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was born in Japan, and the first ever Japanese player to appear in the All-Star Game, Hideo Nomo, debuted for Los Angeles.
Game one saw an all-Japanese starting pitching lineup, with Yamamoto starting for the Dodgers and Imanaga for the Cubs. Both pitchers looked pretty good on the mound, but Imanaga stood out as the best pitcher of the day. It was not until he left the game that the Dodger offense could put runs on the board, but the Dodgers secured the lead in the fifth on the back from an RBI from Teoscar Hernandez and never looked back. The season opener ended 4-1, Dodgers, with newly-acquired Tanner Scott coming into close the game out for the boys in blue.
The second game saw another Japanese starter pitching for Los Angeles in Roki Sasaki. This game would be Sasaki’s MLB debut, after making the switch from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) to MLB this offseason. He would face Justin Steele for the Cubs, who was coming off of his best season in the big leagues thus far, and early on, it seemed Sasaki had the edge between the two. Max Muncy’s double in the 2nd inning and a 3rd inning Tommy Edman solo homer gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead, but the Cubs got one back in the bottom half of the third on a Sasaki walk. Sasaki only went three innings, giving up one run, but the Dodgers bullpen did their job the rest of the way home. The Dodgers would go onto win this game 6-3, powered by a two-run homer by Kiké Hernandez and a solo shot by Ohtani in his home nation, while the Dodgers relievers limited the Cubs to two runs for the rest of the game.
Overall, the Tokyo Series saw incredible viewership and attendance, marking this series a success for the league. The Dodgers, perceived as heavy favorites to win the World Series this year, showed that they were ready for the season, bouncing out to a 2-0 record, looking onto Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers on March 28. Today, the Dodgers stand at 8-0, the best record for a team that is defending their World Series title.
