Legendary Chicago Cubs Fan Talks Tokyo Series, First Wrigley Field Experience

One legendary Chicago Cubs fan made the trip to the Tokyo Series and got nostalgic about one of his first trips to Wrigley Field.

Apr 3, 2023; Houston, TX, USA; Bill Murray in attendance after the national championship game of the 2023 NCAA Tournament between the San Diego State Aztecs and Connecticut Huskies at NRG Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs lost their regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers on early Tuesday morning in Tokyo, Japan, the first game of the Tokyo Series.

But the game was an incredible draw. It featured two of the National League’s most iconic franchises, as the Dodgers are coming off winning the World Series.

The game also featured a Japanese pitching matchup, as the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga took on the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Among the fans that made the trip from the U.S. to Japan was actor and comedian Bill Murray, who was born in Evanston, a Chicago suburb.

His career has been incredible. He spent several years as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live.” He created iconic movie characters in films like “Caddyshack” and “Ghostbusters.” He even earned an Academy Award nomination for best actor in the film “Lost in Translation.”

His talent is so revered that he was given the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2016.

But, throughout it all, he’s remained a Cubs fan. He told MLB Network at the Tokyo Dome before the opener that he has his brother to thank for it.

“Well, my brother put his hands over my eyes and walked me up the steps into Wrigley Field and took my hands away and I saw what it looked like on the inside, and this was back when there was only black my television,” he said. “So, to see all that ivy and all that green it was just a magical moment. I still do it for my own kids.”

Murray got to see the Major League debut of third baseman Matt Shaw, the franchise’s No. 1 prospect who was promoted to the Major League roster before the game. He saw Imanaga have a quality outing on the mound. He just didn’t get to “Fly the W,” the Cubs’ tradition when they win.

But he said he’s thoroughly enjoyed his trip to Japan.

“Japan is a great place,” Murray said. “If you've never been here before I strongly recommend you come here and stay and visit. The people are really, really fun, and they're really good laughers. That's what I was really surprised and pleased to find out.”

After the finale of the two-game series, the Cubs will return to Arizona to play a few more spring training games before they continue the regular season at the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 27, followed by a trip to Sacramento to take on the Athletics on March 31.

The Cubs finally open the home portion of their 2025 schedule on April 4 against the San Diego Padres. Feels like a safe bet that Murray will be there.

“Well, there’s a lot of really big Cubs fans, I don’t know if I’m the biggest or the largest,” he said. “But I’ve grown up that way and I’m gonna die that way, so it’s a life well-lived.”