MLB Tokyo Series 2025 highlights: Dodgers open season with 4-1 win vs. Cubs

MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers LAD

4

FINAL

1

Dodgers ^1-0

LAD ^1-0

4

Cubs ^0-1

CHC ^0-1

1

Chicago Cubs CHC

FINAL

LAD -153 UNDER 8

162-0?I

In the first ever Opening Day matchup between two Japanese-born starting pitchers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto came out victorious after five innings of one-run ball. But it was the Dodgers' bullpen that stole the show. After Ian Happ's single to start the third inning, the only other baserunner the Cubs would get the rest of the night came on a hit by pitch. Anthony Banda, Ben Casparius, Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott, who secured the save in his Dodgers debut, combined for four scoreless, hitless frames to shut the door in the opener.

Now, time to grab a cup of coffee and set another alarm. Same time, same place tomorrow for Game 2 of the Tokyo Series.

t's a two-hit Opening Day for Ohtani and another insurance run for the Dodgers, courtesy of a Teoscar Hernández single. Perhaps not talked about enough amid another offseason of massive spending, it's hard to overstate the importance of the Dodgers bringing back Hernández, especially with Mookie Betts moving to shortstop. A seed-throwing fan favorite, his presence in the Dodgers' lineup is all the more vital with Betts sick and Freddie Freeman dinged up.

Speaking of the offseason spending, Tanner Scott is on for his first save chance as a Dodger (and, I imagine his first time entering a game at 5:45 a.m. PT).

What you all tuned in for: Ben Casparius' velocity uptick.

Yamamoto and Imanaga in the Tokyo Dome lived up to the billing, at least for five innings. But with pitchers still fully building up, it's not a surprise this one's getting decided by the bullpens. So far, it's a reminder of the depth of this Dodgers pitching staff, which has retired 15 straight Cubs batters going back to the third inning.

Shohei Ohtani, still good at baseball.

Even without Betts and Freeman, this offense can get going quickly. The Dodgers were clearly happy to see someone other than Imanaga on the mound in the fifth. Ohtani scorched a single 107.4 mph off the bat for the first hit of the Dodgers’ season. Then the bats promptly broke out. NLCS MVP Tommy Edman tied the game with a single, Jon Berti airmailed a throw to give the Dodgers the lead, and Will Smith tacked on another run with an RBI single.It was the Dodgers’ best fifth inning since … well, the last game they played in the World Series clincher.

Japanese-born Cubs pitchers at the Tokyo Dome: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R.

Not Japanese-born Cubs pitchers at the Tokyo Dome: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R.

Well, there you have it. Imanaga still has never allowed a hit as a big-leaguer at the Tokyo Dome. On the other end, we're in the fifth inning and he isn't pitching anymore. Ben Brown comes in.

The Dodgers have four walks through four innings against Imanaga, who didn't walk more than three batters in any game last season. They don't, however, have a run or a hit yet. Will be interested to see how long a leash Imanaga gets in his first outing of the year with his pitch count at 69 through four.

Yamamoto has favored the splitter heavily in this one and already has seven swings and misses on the pitch through three innings. That's his second-most whiffs with the pitch in a big-league game (he had 12 against the Mets last April).

Among Cubs players with at least 300 plate appearances last year, Miguel Amaya had the lowest wRC+. Naturally, he gets the scoring started on the 2025 season with an RBI double. It was an unusual second inning for Shota Imanaga, as well. One thing he does not do: walk dudes. His 4% walk rate was fourth-best among qualified starters last season, so two free passes to start the frame was an odd sight. He worked around the traffic, though, and the Dodgers have yet to record a hit against him through three innings. The free passes have his pitch count up to 49.

I will always remember where I was when the 2025 Dodgers' season began with a pitch clock violation. Anyway, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is clearly amped for this opener in Japan. He hit 98.1 mph in the first inning. He had only crossed the 98 mph mark six times in the regular season last year (all during his June 7 start against the Yankees).

Shohei Ohtani gets a hero's welcome at Tokyo Dome as the Japanese Dodgers star is introduced.

It's a Japanese showdown on the mound on Monday as Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the opening day start for the Dodgers, while Shota Imanaga earns the nod for the Cubs. Yamamoto is from Bizen, and Imanga is from Kitakyushu.

Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are notably absent from the Dodgers' opening day lineup. Betts, 32, was ruled out of the Tokyo Series due to a lingering illness and Freeman was a late scratch with left rib discomfort.

It's worth noting that in addition to the ankle injury that required offseason surgery, Freeman also played through broken rib cartilage during the Dodgers' postseason run. For a guy who has missed just 22 regular season games over the last five years, you have to imagine he had to be in quite a bit of discomfort to get scratched today. With no Freeman or Betts for Opening Day in Japan, it's a rather ominous start to the champs' follow-up campaign.

Miguel Rojas will start at shortstop, with Kiké Hernández at first base.