MLB Opening Day 2025: Dodgers Sweep Cubs in Tokyo, Kicking Off a Global Season

• Sep, 25 2025
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Tokyo Turns Into Baseball’s New Opening Stage

When the Dodgers and Cubs landed at the Tokyo Dome on March 18, the atmosphere was electric. It was the sixth time MLB chose Japan for a season‑opener, but this year felt different. The league sent its marquee talent, including reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani, to showcase baseball to a global audience. Fans packed the stadium, waving flags of both teams and the Japanese national colors, eager to see how the sport’s biggest stars would perform halfway around the world.

Game 1 delivered a 4‑1 win for Los Angeles. Veteran right‑hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who recently defected from Nippon Professional Baseball, opened the schedule with poise, limiting the Cubs to a single run. Across the rubber, Chicago’s Shota Imanaga—one of 2024’s breakout rookies—showed flashes of brilliance before surrendering three runs. The matchup highlighted the growing pipeline of Japanese talent, as both squads featured homegrown players on the mound.

The second contest, played the next day, proved even more memorable. The Dodgers closed out the series 6‑3, and Ohtani’s first home run of the season sent the Japanese crowd into a frenzy. The blast, a towering shot to left‑center, felt like a symbolic handoff: a Japanese star now excelling for an American franchise in front of his native fans. Rookie phenom Roki Sasaki, another recent import, was slated to start the following game, underscoring the Dodgers’ commitment to blending home‑grown and international talent.

How the Rest of MLB Jump‑Started the Season

While the Dodgers and Cubs began early, the remaining 28 clubs waited until Thursday, March 27, for the traditional Opening Day slate. That day featured 14 games, the most ever scheduled for a single opening weekend, and it also marked the earliest Opening Day in league history. Highlights included the Milwaukee Brewers at the New York Yankees in the afternoon, followed by a primetime showdown between the defending champion Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers.

Broadcast partner ESPN split its coverage between the Brewers‑Yankees game and the evening Dodgers‑Tigers clash, promising fans a full day of high‑stakes baseball. The schedule also stacked a powerhouse pitching lineup: 30 elite arms were set to throw on the day, 22 of them past All‑Star selections, and four making debut appearances with new clubs. Notable duels featured Chris Sale versus Michael King (Braves‑Padres), Paul Skenes against Sandy Alcantara (Pirates‑Marlins), and Yusei Kikuchi meeting Sean Burke (Angels‑White Sox).

Other marquee matchups rounded out the opening weekend: the New York Mets at the Houston Astros, the San Francisco Giants visiting the Cincinnati Reds, and the Oakland Athletics taking on the Seattle Mariners in a late‑night slot. Each game promised a blend of veteran expertise and youthful vigor, reflecting MLB’s ongoing talent infusion from Japan, Korea, and beyond.

One game faced an unexpected delay. The Colorado Rockies‑Tampa Bay Rays contest, initially set for March 27, was pushed to March 28. The postponement gave the Rays extra time to prepare at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which will serve as their temporary home while Tropicana Field undergoes repairs after Hurricane Milton’s October 2024 onslaught. When the game finally rolled around, Kyle Freeland and Shane McClanahan squared off, delivering a gritty start to a season already defined by resilience.

The Tokyo series and the early domestic opening together signal MLB’s strategic push to broaden its footprint. By staging games in Japan, the league not only rewards its growing fanbase there but also gives Japanese players like Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Imanaga a stage that feels both familiar and monumental. For American fans, the spectacle reaffirms baseball’s status as a truly global pastime, with talent flowing across oceans and cultures.