Dave Roberts Reveals Dodgers’ Opening Day Starter for Japan Series vs Cubs

Oct 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brusdar Graterol (left) and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) look on from the dugout in the fifth inning against the New York Mets during game six of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers manager named his Opening Day starter on Wednesday and it doesn't come as too much of a surprise.

The Dodgers will begin their season in Tokyo with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound.

Roberts also said Roki Sasaki will pitch in Japan but wasn't ready to name him the Game 2 starter just yet.

Yamamoto is entering the second year of his 12-year deal with the Dodgers. Sasaki, who signed with the team on Jan. 22, officially inked a minor league contract, though this is just a technicality. The Dodgers expect him to join the starting rotation for the regular season, potentially as early as the games in Japan.

Dave Roberts said “it’s fair to say” Yoshinobu Yamamoto will pitch the season opener in Tokyo against the Cubs. Stopped short of saying for certain that Roki Sasaki would line up for the second game (rather than one of the exhibitions).

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) February 12, 2025

Roberts confirmed this on Wednesday morning during an appearance on Hot Stove on MLB Network. When asked directly if Yamamoto and Sasaki would start in the two games against the Cubs, he addressed the question.

“The expectation for both those guys to pitch is real. But you never know,” Roberts said. “Things can certainly change. But at the outset, that’s our anticipation, yeah.”

"The expectation is for both those guys to pitch..."@Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says the plan is to have Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki take the mound in Japan 👀#MLBNHotStove | @SageUSAmerica pic.twitter.com/suqFquqCHx

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 12, 2025

The Dodgers kick off their season on March 18 and 19 in Japan, and it's only fitting that one of MLB’s top Japanese-born players will start.

Yamamoto is expected to face off against Cubs’ standout Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga, creating an exciting moment for Japan’s baseball scene.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced on Monday that Imanaga will start one of the two games against the Dodgers in Tokyo.

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Imanaga set a record for the lowest ERA by a rookie through his first nine starts, earned a spot on the National League All-Star team, and pitched the first seven innings of a no-hitter against the Pirates on Sept. 4. He finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the voting for NL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards.

Imanaga went 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA while racking up 174 strikeouts to only 28 walks in 173.1 innings

For the second consecutive year, the Dodgers are starting the season a week early with two games in Asia. During last year’s games in South Korea, the team had just two starting pitchers available, along with 11 relievers. Ten of those relievers saw action in Seoul.

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There could be a similar game plan deployed this season.

“Being resolved to the fact that you don’t have to build pitchers up to six [innings] and 90 [pitches] for the games in Tokyo, I think that we feel really good about that,” Roberts added. “It’s going to be sort of, use a lot of different arms.”

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