We’re just days away from the soft launch of the 2025 MLB season in Tokyo, where the defending world champion Los Angeles Dodgers will face off against the Chicago Cubs.
Both teams recently announced their probable starting pitchers for the two-game set, which begins on March 18, and the matchups will be sure to drum up intrigue for both casual and diehard fans alike.
Here’s the quick rundown:
Game 1:
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers) versus LHP Shota Imanaga (Cubs).
Game 2: RHP Roki Sasaki (Dodgers) versus LHP Justin Steele (Cubs).
Los Angeles will be showcasing its two Japanese right-handers, both of whom are expected to be integral parts of the Dodgers’ 2025 rotation.
Yamamoto, 26, had a strong first season in MLB with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts for Los Angeles after signing a massive 12-year, $325M contract with the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season.
Sasaki, meanwhile, will make his stateside debut in 2025. But during his time in Japanese pro ball, he was among the most dominant pitchers ever. Furthermore, the 23-year-old has already impressed in a couple of spring-training starts thus far.
As for the Cubs’ hurlers, both also carry impressive pedigrees of their own.
Southpaw Imanaga might have flown under the radar when compared to the hype of Yamamoto and now Sasaki, but he shouldn’t have: The 31-year-old’s 2.91 ERA over 29 starts in his first MLB season earned him an All-Star appearance and fifth place in 2024 National League Cy Young balloting.
Chicago will send co-ace and fellow left-hander Justin Steele to the mound for Game 2. His 3.07 ERA over 24 starts last season made for a formidable tandem with the aforementioned Imanaga, and the two will look for similar success again in 2025.
Prediction: Cubs and Dodgers split the two-game series in Tokyo. Both pitching matchups are enticing, and because these are regular-season games, both teams will feature their best available lineups as well. The Dodgers may have more firepower overall, but expect the Cubs to try making an early statement of their own as well.
