Chicago Cubs to Face MLB’s Top Prospect in Game Two of Tokyo Series

The Chicago Cubs are set to start the 2025 season next week against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the highly anticipated Tokyo Series in Japan, and the excitement factor just got kicked up a notch.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that Roki Sasaki will start the second game of the series for the reigning World Series champions.

Sasaki was one of the stories of the MLB offseason, as he chose this year to make the transition from Japan's NPB to come play in North America.

A wide array of MLB teams, including the Cubs, attempted to woo the talented pitcher, but Sasaki ultimately opted to join forces with the established contingent of Japanese stars on the Dodgers.

Sasaki, who posted a 2.35 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings pitched as a member of the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2024, was subsequently named as the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline.

The series marks a homecoming for nearly as many Cubs as Dodgers, though, as Chicago boasts outfielder Seiya Suzuki and ace Shota Imanaga among its ranks.

Imanaga will take the mound in Tokyo against another countryman, as the Dodgers are throwing Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the first game on March 18.

The Cubs had their wildest expectations exceeded in Imanaga's rookie year in 2024, as the 31-year-old made 29 starts, winning 15 of them and vexing hitters on his way to a 2.91 ERA.

Yamamoto was excellent in his first taste of the Big Leagues as well, going 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in an injury-abbreviated campaign before he excelled in Los Angeles' postseason run that culminated in a World Series win.

Chicago and its potent lineup led by Suzuki, Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker and Dansby Swanson will be the first MLB team to get a look at Sasaki's arsenal in regular season game action. While the spectacle of these games with so many star players returning to their home country will be outstanding, the Cubs have a golden opportunity to start their season with a statement against the reigning champs.

Manager Craig Counsell will counter Sasaki with his left-handed co-ace Justin Steele in Game 2. Steele was off to a strong start this spring, but he faltered badly in Wednesday's start against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The two games are set for March 18 and 19 at the Tokyo Dome, with first pitch for both games set for 6:10 AM EST. The games will air on FOX in the United States.

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