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MLB Tokyo Series 2025

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MLB Tokyo Series 2025
Teams
DateMarch 18, 2025 (2025-03-18) – March 19, 2025 (2025-03-19); 6:10 a.m. EDT / 7:10 JST (both games)
VenueTokyo Dome
CityTokyo, Japan
Managers
UmpiresLance Barrett, Mike Estabrook, John Libka, Bill Miller
Television
TV announcersUS: Jason Benetti (Game 1) and Adam Amin (Game 2) play-by-play; A. J. Pierzynski (both games) color[1]
RadioCubs: 670 The Score, WRTO 1200; Dodgers: AM570, KTNQ 1020[2][3]

MLB Tokyo Series 2025 is a two-game Major League Baseball (MLB) series being contested between the Los Angeles Dodgers, the defending 2024 World Series champions, and the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo Dome on March 18 and 19, 2025.[4][5] The series is officially the Tokyo Series presented by Guggenheim due to sponsorship from Guggenheim Partners.

Background

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These are the first Major League Baseball (MLB) games to be played in Japan since the 2019 season opened in Japan.[5] MLB has a long history of playing games in Japan, dating back to 1931 when a team of American All-Stars toured the country. This is the sixth MLB season to open in Japan, following opening games in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2019.[5] Several notable Japanese players were expected to participate in the series, including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki for the Dodgers, and Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki for the Cubs.[6]

Broadcast and schedule

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Exhibition games

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The Dodgers and Cubs played exhibition games against two Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) teams, the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants, on March 15 and 16.[7] These exhibition games gave fans an opportunity to see some of the best players from both leagues compete against each other. The exhibitions were aired regionally by SportsNet LA in Los Angeles and Marquee Sports Network in Chicago.[8][9] Rights in Japan were held by Prime Video Japan.[10] In these four games, the Tigers defeated both the Dodgers and Cubs, while the Dodgers and Cubs each defeated the Giants.

Date Time Result Attendance Notes Ref.
March 15, 2025 (Japan) 12:00 p.m. (JST) Chicago Cubs 0
Hanshin Tigers 3 		41,878 WP: Mombetsu, Save: Iwazaki
LP: Thielbar, HR: none 		[11][12]
March 14, 2025 (US) 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
March 15, 2025 7:00 p.m. (JST) Los Angeles Dodgers 5
Yomiuri Giants 1 		42,064 WP: Wrobleski, Save: none
LP: Togo, HR: Conforto, Ohtani, T. Hernández 		[13][14]
6:00 a.m. (EDT)
March 16, 2025 (Japan) 12:00 p.m. (JST) Los Angeles Dodgers 0
Hanshin Tigers 3 		42,095 WP: Saiki, Save: Ishii
LP: Snell, HR: Sato 		[15][16]
March 15, 2025 (US) 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
March 16, 2025 7:00 p.m. (JST) Chicago Cubs 4
Yomiuri Giants 2 		42,026 WP: Taillon, Save: none
LP: Griffin, HR: none 		[17][18]
6:00 a.m. (EDT)

Tokyo Series games

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Interior of Tokyo Dome in 2015

The Tokyo Series games between the Dodgers and Cubs are being broadcast nationally in the United States by Fox Sports in English and Fox Deportes in Spanish.[19] Fox reportedly decided to have their announcers remain in the US and broadcast remotely, due to other obligations such as the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[1] Nippon Television and Prime Video Japan have broadcast rights in Japan.[20][10]

Date Time Matchup / Result Attendance Notes Ref.
March 18, 2025 7:10 p.m. (JST) Los Angeles Dodgers 4
Chicago Cubs 1 		42,365 WP: Yamamoto, Save: Scott
LP: Brown, HR: none 		[2][21]
6:10 a.m. (EDT)
March 19, 2025 7:10 p.m. (JST) Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs [3][22]
6:10 a.m. (EDT)

Notes

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  • This is the Dodgers' fourth overseas appearance and their first in Japan. The team previously played in 2014 in Sydney, Australia; in 2018 in Monterey, Mexico; and 2024 in Seoul, South Korea.[23]
  • This is the Cubs' third overseas appearance and second in Japan. The Cubs previously played in Tokyo in 2000 and in London in 2023.[24][23]
  • This is the first Tokyo series to feature five Japanese players: Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers and Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki for the Cubs.[23] Suzuki is from Arakawa, Tokyo, making Tokyo Dome his hometown stadium.[23]

Sponsors and partners

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The presenting sponsor of the Tokyo Series is Guggenheim Partners.[25] Guggenheim Partners is led by CEO Mark Walter, who also leads Guggenheim Baseball Management, the entity that owns the Dodgers.[26][a] The Dodgers, featuring Shohei Ohtani, are a popular team in Japan.[27]

Japan Airlines is an official presenter of the series and a global partner of Major League Baseball. The airline has consistently supported Japanese players in MLB starting with Hideki Matsui in 2003 and now including Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida.[28] Japan Travel Bureau is also an official partner.[29]

Ito En, the Japanese drinks company that manufactures Ohtani's favorite drink (Oi Ocha, an unsweetened green tea), is sponsoring the series as part of its ongoing global partnership with Ohtani, the Dodgers, and MLB.[30][31] Asahi Beer has a global partnership with MLB and its "Super Dry" beer is the official beer of the series.[32]

The Yomiuri Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, is an organizer of the series.[7] MLB also has a number of collaborations including with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, a Japanese manga series, to produce a short anime film about the series.[33] MLB collaborated with Takashi Murakami, a contemporary artist, to launch a limited-edition collection of merchandise released by Complex.[34][35]

The Pokémon Company also collaborated with the league, with two Pikachu mascots wearing a jersey of both teams and the intro featuring "Monsters" of previous MLB games in Japan as well as Japanese players in MLB with each player on both teams being assigned a Pokémon.[36]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ While Guggenheim Partners and Guggenheim Baseball Management are different entities, various sources refer to Guggenheim Partners, or simply "Guggenheim", as the owner of the Dodgers. See also List of Los Angeles Dodgers owners and executives.

References

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  1. ^ a b Neumann, Sam (March 17, 2025). "Fox reportedly isn't sending announcers to Japan for MLB's Tokyo Series". awfulannouncing.com. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "MLB Gameday: Dodgers at Cubs". MLB.com. March 18, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "MLB Gameday: Dodgers at Cubs". MLB.com. March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  4. ^ "FOX Sports Celebrates 30 Years of MLB Coverage with Action-Packed 2025 Regular Season Broadcast Schedule - Fox Sports Press Pass". Fox Sports Press Pass. 2025-02-25. Archived from the original on 2025-02-25. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  5. ^ a b c "MLB releases 2025 schedule: Opening Day on March 27 after Tokyo Series, rivalry weekend and more key dates". CBSSports.com. 2024-07-18. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  6. ^ "MLB Tokyo Series 2025: Dodgers vs Cubs, Tickets, Tokyo Dome | MLB International". MLB.com. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  7. ^ a b "Yomiuri Giants, Hanshin Tigers to Face Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers; MLB Opener Games Cubs-Dodgers to be held on March 18, 19". The Yomiuri Shimbun. November 28, 2024.
  8. ^ "Spectrum SportsNet LA Announces Dodgers 2025 Spring Training and Regular Season Live Game and Programming Schedule | Charter Communications". corporate.charter.com. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  9. ^ Report, Staff (2025-02-05). "Marquee Sports Network announces 2025 Chicago Cubs spring training and exhibition broadcast schedule | Chicago Cubs News". Marquee Sports Network - Home of the Cubs, Bears, Red Stars and Sky. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  10. ^ a b Donaldson, Alex (2025-02-20). "Prime Video Japan scores MLB, Tokyo Series, Samurai Japan rights". Sportcal. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  11. ^ "Cubs 0, Tigers 3". MLB.com. March 15, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  12. ^ Coskrey, Jason (March 15, 2025). "Tigers shut out the Cubs as Seiya Suzuki receives warm welcome in Tokyo". The Japan Times. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  13. ^ "Dodgers 5, Giants 1". MLB.com. March 15, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  14. ^ Coskrey, Jason (March 15, 2025). "Ohtani puts on a show as Dodgers power past Giants in Tokyo". The Japan Times. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  15. ^ "Dodgers 0, Tigers 3". MLB.com. March 15, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  16. ^ Coskrey, Jason (March 16, 2025). "Tigers shut down Ohtani to take exhibition game over Dodgers". The Japan Times. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  17. ^ "Cubs 4, Giants 2". MLB.com. March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  18. ^ Coskrey, Jason (March 16, 2025). "Cubs beat Giants in final tuneup before season opener against Dodgers". The Japan Times. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  19. ^ "MLB Tokyo Series 2025: Dodgers vs Cubs, Tickets, Tokyo Dome | MLB International". MLB.com. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  20. ^ "2025年MLB日本開幕戦 「シカゴ・カブス×ロサンゼルス・ドジャース」を日本テレビ系【地上波】全国ネットで完全生中継！". Nippon TV (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  21. ^ "Dodgers at Cubs". ESPN.com. March 18, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  22. ^ "Dodgers at Cubs". ESPN.com. March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  23. ^ a b c d Jain, Krutik (2024-07-21). "4 facts about 2025 MLB Tokyo Series that might surprise you". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  24. ^ "Box score of the day: Piazza, Sosa slug in Japan". MLB.com. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  25. ^ Sharma, Sahadev; Ardaya, Fabian (March 17, 2025). "Why are Cubs and Dodgers playing in Japan in the middle of March?". The Athletic. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  26. ^ Mandal, Debajit (December 11, 2023). "Who owns the Los Angeles Dodgers? Ownership structure of Shohei Ohtani's next team explored". sportskeeda.com. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  27. ^ Moreno, Matthew (2024-07-20). "Tokyo Series details: Dodgers ownership presenting sponsor". Dodger Blue. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  28. ^ "Japan Airlines Becomes Official Sponsor of Major League Baseball Tokyo Series 2025, Creating Exclusive Opportunities - Travel And Tour World". 2024-12-12. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  29. ^ Department, Editorial (2024-12-09). "JTB Launches Hospitality Packages for MLB World Tour Tokyo Series". TRAICY Global. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  30. ^ ITOENPR (2025-01-21). "Win tickets for the "MLB TOKYO SERIES" in which Shohei Ohtani will play. "Oi Ocha" Big Giveaway Campaign Starts This Week". Japanese No.1 Green Tea Brand | ITO EN Global Website. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  31. ^ Islam, Arif (2025-01-23). "Ohtani at heart of MLB's new Oi Ocha green tea sponsorship". SportsPro. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  32. ^ "アサヒビール MLB東京シリーズを記念したキャンペーンを実施". アサヒビール. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  33. ^ Jain, Krutik (2025-03-06). "MLB joins forces with Demon Slayer for one-of-a-kind collab ahead of Shohei Ohtani & Dodgers' 2025 opener in Japan". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  34. ^ "MLB collaborates with Takashi Murakami for limited-edition merch ahead of Tokyo series". ESPN.com. 2025-02-27. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  35. ^ "Japanese artist Murakami lends artwork to exclusive MLB collaboration ahead of Tokyo Series". AP News. 2025-02-27. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  36. ^ "Pokémon front and center as Tokyo Series celebrates Japanese icons". MLB.com.
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