The Los Angeles Dodgers start their 2025 season with two dominant wins over the Chicago Cubs as part of the 2025 MLB World Tour: Tokyo Series hosted at Tokyo Dome. Prior to facing off in a two-game series, the Dodgers and Cubs played two exhibition games apiece against the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball Central League.
Day One of the series featured a Cubs 0-3 defeat at the hands of the Tigers while the Dodgers beat the Giants 5-1. The game was a bullpen day for the Dodgers, utilizing eight different pitchers who combined for an impressive total of one earned run, one walk and 11 strikeouts. Three Dodgers hit a home run this game, including Shohei Ohtani, one of the most beloved players in Japan, Michael Conforto, who is newly signed to the club and Teoscar Hernández, a fan favorite back for another season in blue. All star outfielder turned infielder Mookie Betts had flown to Japan with the team and enjoyed some time in the city, but ultimately returned home to Los Angeles before playing any baseball due to an illness.
The Cubs were also able to collect a win over the Giants on Day Two of the series, with a final score of 4-2. The Dodgers were not as lucky, getting shutout 0-3 to the Tigers. Blake Snell was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers, putting up three hits and three runs in 4.1 innings pitched, an average performance for the star pitcher. The batting lineup could not figure out the Tigers’ pitching staff, putting up a measly total of three hits and zero runs over the nine innings. Additionally, the hits came from unexpected players Max Muncy, Austin Barnes, who was hitting off the bench and Andy Pages, with none of the top half being able to get anything going.
The Dodgers eventually came back around to the winning side in Tokyo, taking Game One against the Cubs with a final score of 4-1. The Dodgers announced prior to the game that star first baseman Freddie Freeman would not be playing in the series due to complications with his rib. While the Cubs scored first on a double by catcher Miguel Amaya off Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second inning, that would be their first and last run of the game. Yamamoto proved that he can perform at the same caliber that he did last season, pitching 5.0 innings and earning only three hits and the one run in the second inning. Relief pitchers Anthony Banda, Ben Casparius, Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott all pitched a single inning apiece, putting up zeroes in the hits and runs column. Scott picked up his first save in a Dodgers uniform.
Utility man Tommy Edman was the first to put the Dodgers on the board, hitting a single in the fifth inning off Cubs pitcher Ben Brown to score Pages. After bagging another run off a throwing error by Cubs second baseman Jon Berti, the Dodgers made the score 3-1 off a single by catcher Will Smith to score Teoscar Hernández. Teoscar Hernández would go on to bat in the final run of the night, a single in the top of the 9th to drive in Ohtani.
Game Two of the series was much more electric, featuring Rōki Sasaki’s Dodgers debut and three home runs. Sasaki put on a wild but promising performance, earning one hit, one run and five walks in 3.0 innings pitched. Sasaki, known for his velocity, reached above 100 mph in some of his pitches, giving fans a taste of what’s to come in the rest of the season. The Dodgers got on the board first with a passed ball from Cubs catcher Carson Kelly, scoring Dodgers’ Smith. Smith was one of the top performers of the night, with two runs and two walks. Edman, Kike Hernández and Ohtani also had great nights with a solo homer each. Despite getting zero hits in the game, shortstop Miguel Rojas pulled a crucial double play in the bottom of the second to help Sasaki get out of a jam. With the sweep, the Dodgers start their season on a high. The team looks to ride the momentum into their next regular season series against the Detroit Tigers next week after a brief Spring Training stint against the Los Angeles Angels.
Overall, the 2025 MLB World Tour: Tokyo Series delivered on exactly what it promised to do—bring major league baseball to the international stage. From celebrating the five Japanese players on the Dodgers and the Cubs—Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki, Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki—to special collaboration merchandise with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, to a record breaking 25 million viewers making the series the most-watched MLB game ever in Japan, the Tokyo Series is one to remember.
