NEWSLETTER
Off-field controversy aside, Major League Baseball must have been happy with the opening series in Seoul, Korea, with some extra international attention. The Padres and Dodgers opened things up to subdued attention here in the States thanks to the extremely early-morning start times over here, but apparently drew massive ratings in Japan. I haven’t seen them for Korea just yet, but I presume they were similarly large.
No surprise, then, that MLB wants next year’s season-opener series in Tokyo, Japan to be filled with Japanese stars to goose the attention even further.
According to USA Today, that means the Dodgers – with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto – will be back at it, and this time they’ll be facing the Cubs: “The Chicago Cubs and Dodgers have been privately informed they have been selected to open the 2025 season in Tokyo.”
The Cubs, of course, have Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga on the roster, and while the Dodgers’ duo gets a disproportionate amount of the attention over here, Suzuki and Imanaga are STARS. We shouldn’t forget that. No wonder these are the teams chosen.
I have two main reactions to this news, if it comes to fruition:
1.) I don’t love that this will probably kinda be unfortunate for us trying to watch the games at a reasonable time, but I guess we’ll deal. I also don’t love that it makes for a very awkward Spring Training interruption, which can impact a team for many weeks thereafter.
2.) I DO, however, love the extra attention the Cubs will get, especially in Japan. It’s no secret that more and more stars from the NPB are coming over to MLB, and increasingly having a foothold in the hearts and minds of young Japanese players could be a very good thing in the long run. You’d love for Chicago and the Cubs to become a destination for players who want to come over, AND for international fans.
