TOKYO (KABC) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw five strong innings, Shohei Ohtani had two hits and scored twice, and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 on Tuesday in Major League Baseball’s season opener at the Tokyo Dome.
Playing in front of their home country, Yamamoto and Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga both pitched well in the first all-Japanese starting pitching matchup on opening day in MLB history. Imanaga threw four scoreless innings, allowing no hits but walking four.
The Dodgers jumped on Cubs reliever Ben Brown (0-1) in the fifth, scoring three runs, partly because of a throwing error by second baseman Jon Berti. Tommy Edman and Will Smith had RBI singles.
Ohtani was part of the rally, delivering a hard-hit single through the right side. He finished 2 for 5 at the plate, including a double to lead off the ninth, eventually scoring another run.
Yamamoto (1-0) gave up one run on three hits and a walk, striking out four. Tanner Scott earned his first save.
Chicago’s Miguel Amaya drove in Dansby Swanson with a two-out double that made it 1-0 in the second. The Cubs didn’t have a hit after the third.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman was scratched before the game because of left rib discomfort. Shortstop Mookie Betts will miss both games in Japan because of an illness.
ABC7’s Rob Fukuzaki is in Japan with the Dodgers as they open the season in Tokyo against the Cubs. We’ll have live coverage of the Dodger mania overseas during the series Tuesday and Wednesday at the Tokyo Dome.
Fans who traveled to Japan to catch the game have also enjoyed other things that the country has to offer, including Tokyo Disneyland and sumo wrestling.
Meanwhile, Dodger fans who couldn’t make the trek overseas still managed to cheer on the Boys in Blue for the early-morning game. They gathered for a watch party at the Cosm venue in Inglewood.
Many expressed optimistic hopes for another championship this year.
Looking ahead, the Dodgers will play in Southern California for the first time in 2025 on Sunday, facing the Angels at Dodger Stadium to begin the three-game exhibition Freeway Series, which also consists of games Monday and next Tuesday at Angel Stadium. They will play their regular-season home opener March 27 against the Detroit Tigers.
For those looking ahead to the upcoming season, get ready to pay up. Newly-released data from the app Gametime shows the Dodgers have the second highest average ticket prices at $177. The only place it’ll cost more this season is West Sacramento, where the Athletics will play before their new Las Vegas stadium is ready.
Japan is the fifth foreign country in which the Dodgers have played a regular-season game. They played their first regular-season game outside the United States on May 27, 1969, defeating the Montreal Expos, 5-3. They have also played in Mexico and Australia and began the 2024 season by playing in South Korea.
Since moving to Los Angeles following the 1957 season, the Dodgers have played exhibition games in Japan, China and Taiwan. When they were based in Brooklyn, the Dodgers played spring training games in the Dominican Republic and Cuba and made a postseason tour of Japan in 1956.
