Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers will open the 2025 season against countrymen Shota Imanaga, Seiya Suzuki and the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18 and 19, Major League Baseball announced Thursday.
The opening series at Tokyo Dome marks the 25th anniversary of the first regular-season games played in Japan. The Cubs played the New York Mets to open the 2000 season on March 29 and 30 at Tokyo Dome.
For the second straight year, the Dodgers will be opening their season outside of North America. They played the San Diego Padres in the 2024 Seoul Series in March.
The Dodgers have played in two other international series, including in Australia in 2014 and in Mexico in 2018, but they have never played a regular-season game in Japan.
The club, which has seen its popularity surge in Japan since Ohtani signed a record deal during the offseason, has a long history of Japanese players, starting with pitcher Hideo Nomo's arrival in 1995.
The traditional Opening Day for the rest of the majors is March 27. All 30 teams will play on March 29.
"Rivalry Weekend" will take place on May 16-18, with 11 series pitting prime interleague rivals — such as the Mets facing the New York Yankees and the Cubs tangling with the Chicago White Sox — and two others featuring state rivals (the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros challenging the Texas Rangers).
The 95th All-Star Game will take place on July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta.
The final day of the season on Sept. 28 will feature the conclusion of eight divisional matchups.