MLB to open 2025 season in Tokyo with Dodgers vs. Cubs matchup

Major League Baseball has announced that the 2025 season will kick off with an exciting matchup in Tokyo, featuring Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers against Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs.

The games will take place at the Tokyo Dome on March 18-19.

This opening series commemorates the 25th anniversary of the first MLB regular-season games played in Japan, which saw the Cubs facing the New York Mets on March 29-30, 2000.

For the second consecutive year, the Dodgers will start their season outside of North America. They previously faced the San Diego Padres in the 2024 Seoul Series in March.

MLB returns to Japan to start the 2025 regular season!

The @Dodgers and @Cubs will open the season at the Tokyo Dome on March 18-19, 2025. pic.twitter.com/7pdedhLIGq

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The traditional Opening Day for the rest of the MLB teams is set for March 27, with all 30 teams scheduled to play on March 29.

Additionally, MLB will feature “Rivalry Weekend” from May 16-18, showcasing 11 prime interleague rivalries, including the New York Mets vs. the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs vs. the Chicago White Sox. State rivals, such as the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros vs. the Texas Rangers, will also clash.

The 95th All-Star Game is slated for Tuesday, July 15, at Truist Park in Atlanta.