Dodgers Gear Up for 2025 MLB Season in Tokyo with Historic Opening

The Los Angeles Dodgers are eagerly set to launch their campaign for consecutive World Series victories this Tuesday morning as they clash with the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan. The game, with its first pitch scheduled for 3:10 a.m. California time, will officially kick off the 2025 MLB Season, ending a long stretch without “meaningful baseball.” The Dodgers’ last appearance on the field was during Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, capping off one of the most unforgettable seasons in the team’s history with their eighth title.

Leading the charge for the Dodgers will be Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a native of Japan, facing fellow countryman Shota Imanaga on the mound, marking the first time in MLB history that a season opener will feature an all-Japanese pitching duel. The two pitchers were teammates on Japan’s 2023 World Baseball Classic championship squad, which also included Dodgers’ stars Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki.

Sasaki, who recently joined the Dodgers during the offseason, is slated to pitch for Los Angeles in the series’ second game, where the Dodgers will play as the visiting team.

Sasaki’s addition is among several high-profile signings by the Dodgers following their World Series triumph. They secured left-handed pitcher Blake Snell with a lucrative five-year, $182 million contract and brought in notable relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates along with South Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim.

These new signings came just a year after what many consider the Dodgers’ most significant offseason. It featured the arrivals of Ohtani, Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernández, and a trade that brought Tyler Glasnow from the Tampa Bay Rays.

All the aforementioned Japanese pitchers, in addition to Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, have enjoyed remarkable careers in Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan’s top professional baseball league. Both the Dodgers and Cubs engaged in a series of exhibition games against NPB’s Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers.

Adding another layer of connection to Japan, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts boasts personal ties to the country. Born in Naha, Okinawa in 1972 to a Japanese mother, Eiko, and a U.S. Marine father, Waymon, Roberts’ roots provide a unique backdrop to this international baseball event.