The Chicago Cubs had a disappointing series in Japan, where they dropped both games of the Tokyo Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cubs were outscored 10-4 in the series and allowed 15 walks, which if you’re to win a ballgame, you can’t have.
Before the series started it featured former All-Star closer and one-time Cub (2017) Koji Uehara throwing out the ceremonial first pitch and sharing a sentimental moment with one of his former teammates.
Former and current Chicago Cubs share a moment
Uehara was an 11-year veteran of the NPB and a nine-year veteran of the MLB and is considered one of the better pitchers in NPB history.
In his eleven seasons, Uehara had a record of 112-67 with an ERA of 3.02 in 1583.2 career innings. For his nine seasons in the MLB, Uehara went 22-26 with a 2.66 ERA and had 95 saves in 480.2 career innings.
Uehara also had an impressive 1,400 strikeouts in that span, which is good enough for an 8.0 career strikeout per nine rate.
As Uehara returned to the tunnel after throwing out the first pitch, a familiar face—his former teammate Justin Turner — waited for him. Uehara and Turner were teammates back in 2009 when Turner was first coming up and Uehara first came over to the MLB from Japan.
“After I threw the first pitch, Turner was waiting for me in the aisle I almost cried
We hugged each other and said goodbye… Good luck
We were teammates on the Orioles in 2009”
始球式したあと、通路でターナーが待っててくれた🥲 泣きそうになったよ
ハグして別れました…ほんまに頑張ってな👍
2009年、オリオールズでの仲間でした🥹 pic.twitter.com/CP9sJ8xpDg
— KOJI UEHARA (@TeamUehara) March 21, 2025
The veteran leader the Cubs need
This moment with Uehara shows the softer side of Turner, which is great since fans usually don’t show that. Turner is entering his 17th season in Major League Baseball and was signed by the Cubs to give them the veteran presence the team desperately needed.
In his 17 MLB seasons, Turner has seen it all, the highs, like when he won the World Series in 2020 with the Dodgers, and the lows, like when he was bounced from the Orioles and New York Mets early in his career before finding his footing in LA.
The Cubs lacked a true veteran leader on their roster and bringing in Turner was the right move to get a winning attitude in the clubhouse.
This offseason saw the Cubs bring in a few other veterans like: Carson Kelly, Matthew Boyd, and Ryan Pressly, who all have 10 years or more in service time at the big league level, and to be a good pairing to Turner.
This presence in the clubhouse will help provide advice and share experiences that will help the Cubs in their efforts to make the postseason, which they haven’t made since 2020.
A valuable piece off the bench
Turner will be one of the more valuable options off the Cubs bench this season, where he’ll likely get his at-bats in late-game situations as a pinch hitter for first baseman Michael Busch.
This occurred during the Tokyo Series when the Dodgers brought in a left-hander as Busch’s spot in the order was due up, and manager Craig Counsell decided to bat Turner for him. This move will likely happen a lot this season.
The Cubs are finishing the last of their spring training games before traveling to Phoenix to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks, where they’ll face the Snake’s two Aces, Zac Gallen and Corbin Burnes.
Hopefully, the Cubs can at least take 2/4 in the series and restart their season on a high note.
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