Shohei Ohtani is going home. So are Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki. Four of the brightest Japanese stars in Major League Baseball will play in Tokyo next March when the Los Angeles Dodgers face the Chicago Cubs in two games to begin the 2025 MLB season.
MLB released the entire 2025 schedule Thursday, highlighted by the Tokyo Series. It marks the second consecutive season the Dodgers open their campaign on foreign soil. LA split a two-game series with the San Diego Padres in Seoul, Korea this March. The 2025 Tokyo Series will take place on March 18 and 19 of next year.
The international appeal of the Dodgers makes them an easy choice for games outside the United States. Major League Baseball wants to grow the game. What better way to do that than putting the most talented team in baseball on the international stage?
The games between the Dodgers and Cubs will be must-see television in Japan. Shohei Ohtani is enough of an attraction to bring the masses, but the other Japanese players are beloved in their home country too. The cheers in the Tokyo Dome will be deafening not only for Ohtani but also for Imanaga, Yamamoto and Suzuki.
Japan has long been a hotbed for baseball and consistently churns out major-league talent. The Japanese national baseball team leaves little doubt that they are among the best in the world. Japan won three of the first five World Baseball Classic tournaments, with players like Ohtani starring for Samurai Japan.
Dodgers-Cubs perfect matchup for MLB's return to Japan
Not only do the Dodgers and Cubs boast multiple Japanese players, but they were all stars in Japan and continue their successful careers across the Pacific. There was no way Major League Baseball could mess this up.
Shohei Ohtani's draw speaks for itself and he knew a move to the Dodgers would spark insane buzz in the MLB and his home country. He has the best-selling jersey in the league and does something awe-inspiring almost every night. His latest eye-opening feat was Tuesday's three-run blast at the All-Star Game.
Along with Ohtani, Yamamoto is having an outstanding season, although it's on pause due to an injury to his rotator cuff. Still, the MLB rookie has a 2.92 ERA with 84 strikeouts and 17 walks. He's been everything the Dodgers expected though there is probably a little more in the tank. He'll be out until mid-August. There's a great chance he will start the first game in Tokyo next year.
Opposite him will probably be Imanaga who is pitching even better than Yamamoto this year. The 30-year-old is in the NL Cy Young Award conversation due to his 8-2 record and 2.97 ERA. He has 11 quality starts with 98 strikeouts and 16 walks.
Imanaga's dominant start tapered off in June but he bounced back with two quality starts before tossing a scoreless inning in the All-Star Game.
Suzuki does not have as much hype surrounding him as the other aforementioned Japanese stars but he is a great player in his own right. He improved on his rookie year with a solid sophomore season in 2023 and continues his growth again this year. Suzuki has a .270/.334/.479 slash line with 30 extra-base hits as one of the Cubs' most reliable hitters.
Major League Baseball got this one right. The league's sixth trip to Japan since their inaugural series in 2000 will be a can't-miss for baseball fans everywhere. Get the coffee ready now.
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