After winning the final game of 2024, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the first played of the 2025 season, 6,739 miles and 139 days between each of them from New York for Game 5 of the World Series to Japan for the Tokyo Series and MLB’s Opening Day.
The atmosphere was electric at the Tokyo Dome, partly due to the Pikachus in attendance for the pregame ceremony. Most of the fans were rooting for the Dodgers, with sprinkles of Cubs supporters mixed in, along with those just in attendance for Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki.
Yamamoto did not disappoint as he started his 2025 season infinitely better than his MLB debut a year ago. After allowing five runs in one inning during the Seoul Series, Yamamoto flipped the script and allowed just one run over five innings of the Tokyo Series.
The right-hander held the Cubs to three hits while striking out four and walking one. Yamamoto threw just 72 pitches and seemingly could have went deeper into the game, but the Dodgers were being cautious with their ace and had no reason to push him.
The Cubs scored their lone run when Dansby Swanson singled and Miguel Amaya doubled him home in the second inning.
Imanaga also put on a show for the fans in Japan as the Dodgers could not figure him out. The left-hander did not give up a hit through four innings and kept the Dodgers off the board, but he did issue a career-high four walks while only striking out two batters.
The walks ran up his pitch count and the Cubs took Imanaga out after the fourth inning, and that’s when the Dodgers struck. Ben Brown took over and the Dodgers promptly rallied to score three runs in the fifth inning against him.
Shohei Ohtani picked up the first hit of the season for the Dodgers, a one-out single. Tommy Edman drove in the first run with a single that brought Andy Pages home to tie the game at 1-1.
Teoscar Hernández hit into a force out, but an error from Jon Berti allowed Ohtani to score, giving the Dodgers their first lead. Will Smith capped off their inning with a single that brought Hernández home to make it a 3-1 game.
Hernández added an RBI single in the ninth inning.
The cushion was more than enough for Anthony Banda, Ben Casparius, Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott. Each worked a scoreless inning to close out the game.
Dodgers and Cubs make MLB history during Tokyo Series
With Yamamoto starting for the Dodgers and Imanaga going for the Cubs, it marked the first-ever Opening Day matchup featuring two Japanese-born starting pitchers. Entering the game, Imanaga’s 2.91 ERA was the best all-time among Japanese-born starters (minimum 15 starts) while Yamamoto ranks third (3.00) and Ohtani is fourth (3.01).
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