Major League Baseball opened its regular season on Tuesday at Tokyo Dome, where the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs 4-1 in the first of a two-game series, as reported by NBC News. The event showcased five Japanese players—Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki of the Dodgers, and Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs—marking a historic homecoming that thrilled a baseball-obsessed nation. With a sold-out crowd of 55,000 and fan fervor spilling into Tokyo’s streets, the series highlighted Japan’s pivotal role in the sport’s global evolution. This account blends on-the-ground details with Japan’s rich baseball heritage, all sourced from verified records for education and SEO depth.
A Star-Packed Opener at Tokyo Dome
The game kicked off at 7:05 p.m. local time (6:05 a.m. EDT), per MLB’s official schedule, with the Dodgers securing a 4-1 win, confirmed by game stats. Ohtani, the Dodgers’ designated hitter and 2024 National League MVP, headlined the Japanese contingent despite recovering from shoulder surgery that sidelined his pitching, per team updates. Signed to a 10-year, $700 million deal in 2023, he told reporters, “Tokyo Dome is where I saw my first ballgame, and I’m happy to be back here, in this situation,” aiming to inspire “not only people in Japan but throughout all of Asia,” per NBC News. Fans had filled the stadium for weekend practices just to glimpse him, underscoring his national hero status.
Joining Ohtani were Dodgers pitchers Yamamoto, inked to a 12-year, $325 million contract in December 2023, and Sasaki, a rookie from NPB’s Chiba Lotte Marines, per MLB rosters. The Cubs countered with Imanaga, a left-handed starter in his MLB debut season after joining in 2024, and Suzuki, an outfielder in his third MLB year following nine seasons with NPB’s Hiroshima Carp, per player profiles. This lineup made the series the most Japanese-heavy MLB opener ever in Japan, per historical records.
Fan Mania Across Tokyo
The buzz extended to Tokyo Skytree, a 628-meter tower where MLB hosted a fan zone, per NBC News. Stands sold hot dogs, beer, burgers, and baseball-shaped candy apples, while batting cages offered swing simulations with performance tracking. Mascots from both teams roamed, and cardboard cutouts of the Japanese stars drew photo queues. The Dodgers’ 2024 World Series trophy—earned in a 4-1 victory over the Yankees—was a photo magnet, per MLB archives. Daiki Akiyama from Osaka told NBC News, “This is something worthy of being included in Japanese textbooks,” admitting he hadn’t slept in three days from anticipation.
American fans like Richard Moreno from Los Angeles made the trek, saying outside a sold-out merchandise shop, “We’ll do anything for the Dodgers,” and crediting Ohtani: “He’s our hero,” per NBC News. Tickets were steep—secondary market prices ranged from $2,000 to $10,000, per AP data—prompting Moreno to call them “an arm and a leg.” His friend Anthony Martinez called it a “once-in-a-lifetime experience,” still stunned to be there, per the report. At Skytree watch parties, Dodgers blue dominated as fans without tickets tuned in, per NBC visuals.
Japan’s Baseball Heritage: 150 Years Strong
Baseball arrived in Japan in 1872, introduced by Horace Wilson, an American teacher at what’s now the University of Tokyo, with the first game in Yokohama against U.S. residents, per the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame. The Waseda-Keio rivalry began in 1903, a biannual event still aired on NHK. In 1934, a U.S. All-Star tour with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx played 18 games before 500,000 fans, sparking the Japanese Baseball League (JBL) in 1936, per NPB records. The Yomiuri Giants won the inaugural title, and after a World War II hiatus, the league relaunched in 1946, becoming NPB in 1950 with 12 teams across two leagues.
NPB’s giants include the Yomiuri Giants (22 Japan Series titles, last in 2012), Hanshin Tigers, and Ohtani’s former team, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2013-2017), per NPB stats. Yamamoto won three straight Pacific League MVPs with the Orix Buffaloes before MLB, per records. In 2024, NPB games averaged 27,963 fans, per league data, cementing baseball as Japan’s top spectator sport. Last week, the Hanshin Tigers beat both the Dodgers and Cubs in exhibition games, per box scores, showcasing local prowess.
Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988, has hosted MLB openers in 2000 (Cubs vs. Mets), 2004 (Yankees vs. Devil Rays), 2008 (Red Sox vs. A’s), and 2019 (A’s vs. Mariners), per MLB archives. The 2025 series is the sixth, but none boasted this Japanese star power.
Legends and Ambitions
Ken Griffey Jr., a 13-time All-Star and Hall of Famer, told reporters Monday, “He’s one of the guys that you stop everything you’re doing so you can see what he’s going to do … because it can be that quick,” comparing Ohtani to Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, per NBC News. Ohtani’s 2024 stats—.310 average, 54 homers, 130 RBIs—back that up, per MLB, despite no pitching post-surgery. Japan has adopted the Dodgers, tied to Ohtani and Yamamoto’s NPB roots, making this a cultural homecoming.
Baseball’s Global Shift
The 4-1 Dodgers win, powered by Japan’s stars, reflects MLB’s international push and Japan’s redefinition of the game. With 150 years of history and a packed Tokyo Dome, this opener was a milestone of talent and fandom, drawn from NBC News, MLB, NPB, and historical records.
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