Major League Baseball has started to release some of the 2025 schedule, and the Chicago Cubs are going to be tested immediately during game No. 1.
The focus will be on the remainder of the 2024 season before they get there, but they'll be playing in an awesome event to start the 2025 campaign.
According to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, the Cubs will be taking on Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Tokyo on March 18 and 19.
Gonzalez added that it could be the return of Ohtani being a two-way player, as he's recovering from his Tommy John surgery and is just a batter this year.
Taking on the superstar in Japan should be an incredible experience for Chicago. It also allows Shota Imanaga to return home and pitch in front of a crowd that knows the type of pitcher he is.
Imanaga came over in the offseason and has proven to be one of the top arms in Major League Baseball. Despite some of the struggles by the Cubs, none of the blame can be put on the left-handed ace.
He currently owns a 2.97 ERA and is 8-2 in 17 starts. In 97.0 innings pitched, he's posted an impressive 98 strikeouts and has walked just 16.
The game will feature other Japanese stars besides Ohtani and Imanaga, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was expected to be one of the best pitchers in baseball when he signed with the Dodgers in the offseason, and Seiya Suzuki, who was a prized free agent signing by Chicago.
There's a good chance that Yamamoto will get the ball in a game, too.
As things currently stand, fans in Japan should get to watch three of the top Japanese players in the world to open up the 2025 season.
