The 2024 MLB season officially got underway when the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres squared off in a two-game series out in Seoul, South Korea, and while we have to wait a few days for the regular season to get back underway, it was a positive way to start the new season. While the action has only just gotten underway this year, it looks like the Dodgers will be playing overseas again to open the 2025 campaign.
As the MLB continues to look to grow internationally, series taking place in other countries are becoming the norm, and after a strong start to the season in Seoul, it looks like the league is going back to the well. While it's not official yet, reports have surfaced suggesting that the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs will kick off the 2025 campaign by playing in Tokyo, Japan.
“The Chicago Cubs and Dodgers have been privately informed they have been selected to open the 2025 season in Tokyo. The Cubs, who have spring training in Arizona, are expected to return to Arizona after the series and open their domestic season on the West Coast before heading home to Chicago.” – Bob Nightengale, USA Today
Dodgers set to kick off MLB season for second straight year
The Dodgers had quite an eventful trip out to Seoul this year, as they endured a wild Shohei Ohtani story with his translator breaking, but their popularity in Asia is incredibly high, which is likely why the MLB wants them to continue playing international games. The more people that see this loaded team, the more likely they are to become consistent fans of the league.
With Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto headlining their squad, interest in the Dodgers over in Asia is at an all-time high. Ohtani is the biggest celebrity in Asian markets currently, and many baseball fans are curious to see how Yamamoto's transition to the MLB will go after his dominant stint in the Nippon Professional Baseball League.
The Cubs are a sensible team to have the Dodgers face in Tokyo, as they are one of the most historic franchises in the league, and they are a team on the rise in the National League Central. And beyond that, they also have a pair of former NPB stars on their roster in Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga, which will give fans even more reason to pay attention to these games.
As noted above, this isn't official just yet, but it's looking increasingly likely that these two teams will be kicking off the 2025 campaign next year. We still have a long way to go before we get there, but after a successful stint in Seoul, the MLB is hoping to follow it up with an equally impressive series in Tokyo, and if these are in fact the two teams that will be playing in Japan, it's safe to say it should be an entertaining way to start the new season.
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