The Major League Baseball 2025 season is officially underway, and it started with a bang in Tokyo. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-1 in the opening game held at the Tokyo Dome, making history not just on the scoreboard but also on the mound.

In a first for MLB Opening Day, the pitching matchup featured two Japanese stars: Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers and Shota Imanaga for the Cubs. Yamamoto delivered a solid five innings, striking out three and giving up just one run. Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya was responsible for that run, hitting a two-out double in the second inning to bring home Dansby Swanson. Meanwhile, Imanaga pitched four no-hit innings but was hampered by four walks before handing the ball to the bullpen.

Things shifted dramatically for the Cubs once Imanaga was pulled. That's when the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani made his presence felt. In the fifth inning, with the game still scoreless for the Dodgers, Ohtani cracked their first hit of the game—a single down the right-field line off Cubs reliever Ben Brown. Ohtani's hit sparked a rally that saw Andy Pages score and the Dodgers take a lead they wouldn’t give up.

Tommy Edman kept the momentum going with a looping single that brought in another run, followed by a fielding error by Cubs second baseman Jon Berti, which allowed Ohtani to score. The inning ended with the Dodgers up 3-1, a lead they carried with confidence.

From there, the Dodgers’ pitching dominated. Yamamoto, along with relievers Anthony Banda, Ben Casparius, and Blake Treinen, retired 16 Cubs batters in a row between the third and eighth innings. The streak ended only when Treinen hit Berti with a pitch.

Ohtani wasn’t done yet. In the ninth, he doubled and later scored on a single by Teoscar Hernandez, giving the Dodgers a comfortable 4-1 cushion. Tanner Scott closed out the game in style, recording the save in his Dodgers debut.

The Tokyo Series concludes on Wednesday with a fascinating matchup. Japanese rookie Roki Sasaki will make his MLB debut for the Dodgers, while Justin Steele will take the mound for the Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 a.m. ET, so fans better set their alarms!

While the rest of MLB waits for their Opening Day on March 27, the Cubs and Dodgers are already making waves in this early start to their regular season. If this game was any indication, it’s going to be a thrilling year.

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