Dodgers vs. Cubs Tokyo Series live updates, score: Opening Day 2025 is in Japan as Los Angeles starts title defense against Chicago

The 2025 MLB regular season is here and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs are set to kick things off in Tokyo. While their two games on Tuesday and Wednesday will count, they’ll return to spring training alongside the other 28 teams before the full Opening Day on March 27.

This will be the 10th time the MLB regular season has opened outside of the U.S. or Canadian mainland. The Dodgers opened the 2024 season against the Padres in Seoul, South Korea, with a win — they wound up splitting the two games — getting their season off to a good start on their way to a World Series title.

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A couple of Japanese stars take the hill for this season opener as the Dodgers send ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-2, 3.00 ERA, 105 K, 22 BB, 90.0 IP in 2024) to the mound and the Cubs counter with Shota Imanaga (15-3, 2.91 ERA, 174 K, 28 BB, 173.1 IP), who was an NL All-Star in his first season with the Cubs last year. Cubs DH Seiya Suzuki (.283/.366/.482 with 22 HR, 73 RBI and 116 SB) also makes his return to play in Japan as does Shohei Ohtani for the Dodgers who became the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP award — and the second player to win an MVP in both leagues — last season with the Dodgers.