Cubs and Dodgers Set to Face Off in Japan to Kickoff 2025 MLB Season
It is finally here; the baseball season is officially back, and for the second consecutive year, the MLB will kick off its season in Japan. The Dodgers and Padres debuted in this Japan series last March, and the Dodgers will return to Japan fresh off their World Series title in 2024, but this time they will face the Chicago Cubs. Both teams are a great draw for this series considering the Japanese star power on both squads with the obvious headliner being Shohei Ohtani for the Dodgers. However, there are plenty of other stars to watch for in this series from Japan including three of the four starting pitchers. Both Dodgers starters, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki got their start playing in Japan, as did the Cubs game one starter, Shota Imanaga. So, with so much to look forward to in this intriguing matchup, let's look at some of the biggest headlines in this exciting start to the 2025 MLB season.
Star Powered Starting Pitching Matchup
While the main storyline surrounding the pitching matchup of Yamamoto vs Imanaga is rightfully going to be about them both returning home, the other factor to look at with these two is that these are arguably two of the top 10 pitchers in the National League. Both pitchers came into the MLB last year with high expectations, and while Yamamoto struggled against the Padres in Japan last year and also dealt with injuries, he showed flashes of dominance when healthy, so the Dodgers are excited to see a fully healthy Yamamoto perform. As for Imanaga, he surpassed expectations in his first big league season as he was an all-star and finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and fifth in Cy Young voting in the National League. He has created a two-headed lefty monster at the top of Chicago’s rotation between him and Justin Steele who will start game two for the Cubs. With all that said, there are questions surrounding both star pitchers. For Yamamoto, there is intrigue to see what he is capable of if he can stay healthy for a sustained period of time. For Imanaga, will be able to keep the same level of success in year two as he posted in year one? While Tuesday is just one game, it will be exciting to get a glimpse of an answer to both of those questions.
Question Marks in Both Lineups
Both of these teams are expected to be playoff teams in 2025, and a large reason for that is the strength of both lineups. However, both the strength and depth of these lineups is going to be tested early here in this series. For Los Angeles, they will be without one of their best players as Mookie Betts is going to be out with an illness. Betts is slated to make the permanent move from right field to short stop this season to help with the Dodgers depth in the middle infield. Well, that depth is going to be immediately put to the test as they will start the year without Betts in the lineup. This will presumably put Miguel Rojas into the lineup at shortstop and the newly acquired Japanese standout Hyeseong Kim at second base. The quality of play of the Dodgers middle infield could be a major factor in the outcome of tomorrow’s game with Betts not available. As far as Chicago is concerned, they will also be without a starting middle infielder as second baseman Nico Hoerner did not travel to Japan with a forearm injury. The Cubs have a variety of options to turn to in Hoerner’s absence with utility guys like Jon Berti and Vidal Bruján, but the most intriguing name to look for is rookie Matt Shaw who will be making his MLB debut. Shaw is extremely talented, but obviously unproven. So, if he gets the chance to start whether that is at second base or third base, there will be a spotlight on him.
Prediction
There is clearly heaving intrigue and question marks on both sides, but it will be difficult to go against the Dodgers in this one even with Betts out. It is obviously easy to dig too deep into one game, but that is what Opening day is for anyway. The Cubs lineup, while improved from last year, does not match up with the Dodgers especially with a starter like Hoerner out. Expect it to be a lower scoring game with Yamamoto and Imanaga on the mound against a few injured lineups, but the firepower of the Dodgers will most likely be too much for the Cubs to overcome. I like a score of 4-2 Dodgers to kick off the 2025 MLB season.
