Chicago Cubs set to start the 2025 season in Japan against Dodgers

The Chicago Cubs will open the MLB regular season with a two-game series against the Dodgers in Tokyo, Japan on March 18-19. This will be the second time in franchise history that the Cubs have opened their season in Japan, as they also did so against the Mets in 2000, and the sixth time in MLB history.

The Cubs have two Japanese players on their roster: outfielder Seiya Suzuki and promising rookie Shota Imanaga. The Dodgers, on the other hand, have baseball’s top star, fellow Japanese Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani could be ready to return to the mound when the Cubs and Dodgers meet in Tokyo, adding to the intrigue of the series. Ohtani underwent elbow surgery last year and will be unable to pitch for the entire 2024 season. However, he is expected to return to the mound in 2025. In the meantime, Ohtani continues to be one of the best hitters in the game.

The Cubs will then travel to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks in a four-game series beginning March 27, marking the start of their season on American soil.

The Cubs’ first home game at Wrigley Field will be April 4, when they host the San Diego Padres. Among the games fans will be most excited about are the interleague matchups. Especially against the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees.

The Cubs will face the team from Space City for the first time in June. A three-game series will take place at Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros, between the 27th and 29th of the sixth month of the year.

Meanwhile, they will also play as visitors against the “Bronx Bombers”. They will also land at Yankee Stadium for a three-game series between July 11 and 13, 2025.

In addition, the Cubs will take on the White Sox in a series that will determine who has the best baseball in the Windy City, known as the Crosstown Classic. They will first meet in a three-game series at Wrigley Field May 16-18, then visit the South Side for a three-game series at Guaranteed Rate Field July 25-27. The six-game series will be a break from the four-game series they played in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Two games remain in this year’s edition of the Crosstown Classic, to be played August 9 and 10 at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Cubs won the first two games this year at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs have held a recent edge in the rivalry, winning five of the last six Crosstown Classic games. However, the White Sox have the edge in the series with a 78-72 overall record against their fiercest rivals.