Cody Snavely
We are a little over a month away from the official start of the 2025 Major League Baseball season as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs will kick off the regular season in Tokyo, Japan, for two games as part of the Major League Baseball World Tour program.
Both teams have already reported to their respective spring training facilities in Arizona, with the Dodgers pitchers and catchers officially reporting yesterday, February 11th, and the Cubs earlier this week.
However, despite the short two-game series a month away, both teams have commented on the potential starting matchup. Cubs manager Craig Counsell stated earlier this week that Japanese right-handed starter Shota Imanaga would start one of the first two games of the series.
“Shota’s going to pitch in Japan,” Counsell said. “I think that’s mandated, kind of. I don’t think I have a choice, actually.”
As for the Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts also indicated that both of his Japanese starters, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, would pitch in Japan in an interview with MLB Network, stating, “The expectation is for both those guys to pitch.”
However, Roberts elaborated further on the Dodgers’ spring training facility, stating it’s “fair to say” Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game One of the Tokyo Series while also saying “the plan is for (Roki Sasaki) to pitch there,” depending on how he builds up during spring. If Sasaki does pitch in Tokyo, it will be as a starter.
The idea of the Dodgers and Cubs using their prominent Japanese players is no coincidence with the game taking place in Japan, a country that eats, sleeps, and breaths baseball, including winning on the world stage in the 2023 World Baseball Classic over the United States of America.
If Seoul, Korea, was any indication of the environment of these games, you can crank it up 100% with the most popular Japanese players and two iconic franchises firing off the 2025 season.
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
