Cody Snavely
Game 1, 3/18/2025: Dodgers 4, Cubs 1
TOKYO —TOKYO — Opening Day for Major League Baseball is finally here as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs kicked off the 2025 season in Tokyo, Japan, with a marquee matchup between two Japanese arms in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and lefty Shota Imanaga.
For the second straight season, Yamamoto will make his regular-season debut overseas, this time in his home country of Japan, and he will have much better results than his outing in Seoul, South Korea.
The first half of this game was a pitching duel between Imanaga and Yamamoto, with one lone run being allowed between the two in the first four innings of work.
The Cubs would get the scoring started today after a 2-out RBI double from Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya, bringing in Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. However, that would be all for the Cubs offensively today.
The Dodgers pitching staff led by Yamamoto would hold the Cubs scoreless the rest of the day.
Yamamoto was particularly sharp, pitching five strong innings for the Dodgers while collecting four strikeouts, generating eleven whiffs, and maxing out at 98mph today, an uptick from his 96mph average last season.
The Dodgers offense was held hitless against Cubs southpaw Shota Imanaga, who was shockingly removed from the game after four innings of work but issued four walks on the day on sixty-nine pitches.
In typical Dodgers fashion, the team would pounce on the opposing team’s bullpen, doing most of their damage in the top of the fifth inning against Cubs relief pitcher Ben Brown.
Andy Pages would work a 1-out walk, advancing to third on a single by designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, the first hit of the day for the Dodgers. Edman would follow that with a sinking single to left, tying the game at one.
However, the Cubs’ defense would not help out Brown after a routine ground double play by Teoscar Hernández was botched after a wild throw from Cubs second baseman Jon Berti, allowing Ohtani to score and give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
Will Smith joined the hit party in the fifth inning with a line drive single to left field, scoring Hernández.
The Dodgers offense would add an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning thanks to a 1-out RBI single by Teoscar Hernández driving in Ohtani.
The Dodgers bullpen was lights out in this one with scoreless frames from lefty Anthony Banda and righties Ben Casparius, who shined his 99mph fastball, Blake Treinen, and finally, newest bullpen arm, Tanner Scott, would close the door, earning the save, his first in a Dodger uniform.
The Dodgers would win this game 4-1, thanks to elite pitching from the staff and taking advantage of the Chicago Cubs’ mistakes on defense in the fifth.
Game Two will be tomorrow at 3 am, and 23-year-old rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki will make his highly anticipated Major League debut.
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