Major League Baseball said Thursday that two clubs showcasing top-tier Japanese talent—the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs—will meet in Tokyo next spring for a two-game season-opening series.
As is customary, the games will take place on March 18 and 19 in the Tokyo Dome, just before the opening day for American ballparks on March 27.
After opening their 2024 season with a two-game series split against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, the Dodgers are prepared to begin their second consecutive season in Asia with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto at the helm.
The Cubs' opposition roster for the 2025 series is expected to include Japanese players Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga.
In 2019, the Tokyo Dome hosted a Major League Baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners. It was Ichiro Suzuki's last appearance in the major leagues.
This next series will honor the 25th anniversary of the first regular-season games played in Japan in 2000 between the Cubs and the New York Mets. According to baseball news reports, Major League Baseball has announced that it will begin a season in Tokyo for the sixth time.