The 2025 Major League Baseball season has officially started – in Japan.
This is the seventh time the MLB has opened its season in Japan. It also happened in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2019 and 2024. This year, the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers play in the Tokyo Dome on March 18-19.
This year’s matchup brings several players back to where their journeys began. Shohei Ohtani, a two-way superstar for the Dodgers, played in the Nippon Professional Baseball League for four seasons before joining the MLB. The NPB is the professional baseball league in Japan. The Dodgers also have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a star pitcher, who played in the NPB for seven seasons.
Seiya Suzuki, an outfielder for the Cubs, is also playing in the series. He played nine seasons in the NPB.
Trevor Bauer, a former MLB pitcher and Cy Young winner, described the “different” atmosphere in Japan in an interview with FOX News. Bauer said, “The fans were fantastic… Every game there is like a European soccer game. Band in the stands, chants, drums, crazy energy, sold out [packed stadiums].” He described sports in Tokyo as “high energy and sports everywhere you look.”
These games will be televised at 6:10 a.m. EDT, which has caused some controversy among some fans.
Owen Tucker, an “avid” baseball fan, says he will not watch the games because he’d only wake up to watch the Yankees play. He said the early start is “somewhat upsetting just [because] I like watching the first game of the year.”
Robert Manfred, the commissioner of the MLB, in an interview with The Athletic said, “Tokyo is really our focus right now for very, very good business reasons.”
Patrick Corrigan, a junior business administration major, said he thinks the Japan series is a good idea, “This series helps the MLB expand its global fan base while strengthening its presence in the market where baseball is already deeply rooted.”
Micah Bennett, a senior marketing major, said, “With Shohei Ohtani as the face of baseball, it strengthens [the] MLB’s presence in Asia, builds fan engagement and boosts revenue through media rights and merchandise.”
MLB’s opening day in the United States is March 27. UNG’s season is already underway, and you can find the schedule here.
