“A celebration of Japanese baseball” – MLB insider previews Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs Shota Imanaga showdown in Dodgers-Cubs Tokyo Dome opener

Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the defending World Series champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, open up their season against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo. There is less than one month before we see these two teams kick off the 2025 season on March 18.

Both clubs have already made their pitching choices to kick things off. L.A. will hand the ball to Yamamoto, while Chicago has named Shota Imanaga their Opening Day starter.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, this marks the first matchup between Japanese-born starting pitchers in a regular-season MLB game at the Tokyo Dome. It also marks the first matchup between Japanese-born SP in an Opening Day game.

"It's going to be a celebration of baseball. It's going to be a celebration of Japanese baseball," Robert Flores said.

The crew over at MLB Network's Hot Stove spoke about just how special this Tokyo Series is going to be. It highlights plenty of Japanese stars, including Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki.

"What a scene. And you got Ohtani. And you know Sasaki is probably going to see the mound that series," Harold Reynolds said.

Ohtani will not appear on the mound, but Sasaki is expected to. Manager Dave Roberts sees him starting Game 2 of the Tokyo Series as long as he does not experience any setbacks.

Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki has been impressive early in camp

Los Angeles Dodgers - Roki Sasaki (Photo via IMAGN)

All eyes have been on Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki since he arrived at camp. Many around the league are more than excited to see how he stacks up against hitters in Major League Baseball.

Sasaki has looked great on the mound so far. He shows solid balance throughout his delivery and finishes in line with his target. He also has a high leg kick, which can throw opposing hitters off.

Sasaki comes into the 2025 season ranked as the No. 1 prospect. He averaged 96.8 mph in 2024, but he is known to ramp up his fastball to 102 mph when he needs to. He also throws a devastating splitter that plays well off his fastball and a great slider.

Many scouts believe Sasaki has the potential to be one of the best in this sport. Now, he has to go out there and prove it. Fans will be glued to their TVs when he likely takes the mound in Tokyo against the Cubs.