The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs are set to open the 2025 MLB regular season with the Tokyo Series in Japan from March 18-19.
First pitch for both games at the Tokyo Dome is 3:10 a.m. PT. They will be nationally televised by Fox Sports, with SportsNet LA and Marquee Sports Network also providing local coverage.
The Tokyo Series is the sixth time that MLB will start its regular season in Japan and first instance since 2004. It also marks the second consecutive year the Dodgers are beginning their season with an international series.
“Excited. I think we got a little taste of Asia as far as last year in Seoul. This is a really good opportunity for us to bring our game, certainly our Japanese players to their home country, with another great organization in the Cubs,” manager Dave Roberts recently said.
“I think it’s great for baseball. We are thrilled and honestly, I’m looking forward to our players being received from the fans in Tokyo, in Japan. They’re just great, generous people, kind. We’re going to eat some great food, too.”
Roberts, a native of Japan, leads a Dodgers roster that includes Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. The Cubs roster also features a pair of Japanese stars in Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki.
Yamamoto and Imanaga will make history as the first two Japanese-born pitchers to face each other in an Opening Day game. The finale will see Sasaki make his MLB debut and be opposed by Justin Steele on the mound.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers will be without Mookie Betts for both games due to an illness that has kept him out of the lineup since March 9.
How to watch Tokyo Series online
Tokyo Series games can be streamed via the Fox Sports Go app, or online through fuboTV, DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV and Sling TV, among other options.
MLB.TV subscribers who are authenticated through a pay-TV provider will be able to live stream Tokyo Series games as well.
Also, SportsNet LA is now available for purchase as a standalone streaming service, SNLA+, as of Monday. SNLA+ is available for direct purchase at $29.99 per month or $199.99 for an annual subscription, which expires Jan. 31, 2026.
Subscriptions can be purchased at MLB.com/sportsnetla.
Spectrum TV subscribers with a package that includes SportsNet LA can stream SNLA+ at no additional cost.
Tokyo Series schedule, start times and TV info
Game 1: Tuesday, March 18, Tokyo Dome, 3:10 a.m. PT (Fox, SportsNet LA, Marquee Sports Network)
Game 2: Wednesday, March 19, Tokyo Dome, 3:10 a.m. PT (Fox Sports 1, SportsNet LA, Marquee Sports Network)
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