Watch: Shohei Ohtani and Shota Imanaga share wholesome moment in Dodgers vs Cubs showdown

Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers are engrossed in an intense battle against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. However, the Japanese superstar shared a wholesome moment before his faceoff against Cubs ace and compatriot Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Ohtani, chasing history in his first season with the Dodgers, tipped his cap to Imanaga before his first at-bat against him. The Cubs rookie responded in kind by tipping his cap from the mound.

Talkin' Baseball shared a clip of the moment on X/Twitter:

While Shohei Ohtani is edging closer to the elusive 50-50 mark – a feat no player has achieved in MLB history – Shota Imanaga is in the running for the NL Rookie of the Year award after a splendid showing in his debut season in the States.

However, it wasn't a pleasant outing for the Cubs starter in the second game of the series as he conceded three home runs in his five innings from the mound. Dodgers Tommy Edman registered two solo home runs against the Japanese rookie while Max Muncy added a third in the fifth inning to give the Dodgers a 3-1 lead.

Imanaga went six innings deep, conceding three runs over five hits and striking out four hitters.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto outshines Shota Imanaga in battle of Japanese rookies

It was a Japanese reunion ahead of the series opener at Dodger Stadium as Shohei Ohtani and Shota Imanaga were greeted by a returning Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The trio exchanged handshakes and a light-hearted moment.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his first start since the All-Star break on Tuesday after missing nearly three months of action. Yamamoto was placed on the injured list with a strained rotator cuff on June 16.

There were concerns around Yamamoto's return with the hurler going through a shortened rehab after his lengthy injury break. However, Yamamoto had a much better outing than his opposing number, Imanaga. The Dodgers rookie went four innings deep, allowing one run on four hits and striking out eight batters.

He was later removed from the mound to manage his recovery, something manager Dave Roberts had mentioned earlier. His return is a huge boost for the injury-plagued Dodgers rotation, which is still without Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw.