Lots of sports fans are looking forward to March 18 as it marks the start of the NCAA Tournament, with the First Four beginning on that day. But about 12 hours before those games tip off, another major event will commence in a different sport and a different country. That day also marks the start of the 2025 Major League Baseball season, with the opening game in Tokyo between the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs.
One only has to look at the respective rosters to see why the Dodgers and Cubs were chosen to head to Tokyo, as they both have high-profile Japanese players and coaches. The incomparable Shohei Ohtani, a three-time MVP, is the headline attraction after he began his pro career in his native Japan before taking his talents to Los Angeles. He has a pair of Dodgers teammates in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and MLB rookie Roki Sasaki, who are also from Japan, while the team’s manager, Dave Roberts, is of Japanese descent and was born in Okinawa.
As for the Cubs, they feature Seiya Suzuki, who won a gold medal for Team Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics and is the only Tokyo native in this game. Additionally, pitcher Shota Imanaga was part of a combined no-hitter in his rookie MLB season last year, which came two years after he threw a solo no-hitter in his native Japan.
While it would have been a dream scenario for Ohtani to make his return to the mound in his native country, he’s not quite ready to resume his two-way brilliance. But there is a nice consolation prize for the locals as Yamamoto and Imanaga will start Tuesday’s opener, before Sasaki goes for the Dodgers in Wednesday’s game, matching up against the Cubs’ Justin Steele.
The Dodgers, of course, are the reigning World Series champions, and they’re the favorites to win again this year. They’re built around the trio of Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman–all MVP winners–and they fortified both their pitching and defense this offseason. In addition to signing Sasaki, who was a two-time All-Star in Japan, they signed two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, as well as a pair of pitchers who were MLB All-Stars in 2024, Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott. Plus, the team signed Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim, who won Gold Glove awards in the KBO League each of the past four seasons.
The Cubs went 83-79 for the second straight season last year and have missed the postseason in each of the last four years. Their additions weren’t as splashy, but they did pilfer the Houston Astros for three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker and two-time All-Star reliever Ryan Pressly. Chicago also landed a pair of former Dodgers in Justin Turner and Ryan Brasier, who each won a World Series with Chicago’s Tokyo Series opponents.
Both teams will get a pair of tune-ups before facing off as each will face off against the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). That league is the highest level of baseball in Japan, and those exhibition contests will take place on Saturday and Sunday.
Speaking of exhibitions, the Dodgers and Cubs will resume those once they return to the United States after the Tokyo Series. Both teams will restart spring training, playing a handful of games, before they then resume regular season play as the 28 other teams start their regular seasons. March 27 is the official 2025 MLB Opening Day, with the Cubs facing the Diamondbacks and Dodgers taking on the Tigers.
