Dodgers, Cubs to warm up with NPB Central League top teams ahead of MLB Tokyo Series 2025 

MLB will return to the Land of the Rising Sun next year as the opening series will be played in Tokyo, Japan. The 2025 major league season will begin from the historic Tokyo Dome on March 18, 2025, when the reigning world champion Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Chicago Cubs.

Before the main festivities, however, a couple of star-studded warm-up games will be played between the MLB teams and NPB Central League squads. NPB juggernaut Yomiuri Giants will face off against the Dodgers on March 14, 2025, and then the Chicago Cubs the following day.

On the other hand, 2023 Japan Series champion Hanshin Tigers will face the Cubs first on March 14, 2025, and then the Dodgers the following day. The exhibition games are customary for the previous overseas Asian series done by the MLB.

In 2019, the Yomiuri Giants played an exhibition game against the Seattle Mariners as a part of that year's Japan Series between the latter and the Oakland Athletics. Similarly, the Kiwoom Heroes, LG Twins and Team Korea played against the Dodgers and San Diego Padres ahead of last year's Seoul Series.

The Dodgers and Cubs are set to tussle in a two-game set for the 2025 MLB Tokyo Series. To say that the series is highly anticipated in Japan would be an understatement, as the Dodgers will look to dominate with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto while the Cubs will be expected to put up a challenge with Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki in the fray.

MLB games in Japan

MLB has long since established a partnership with NPB and Japanese baseball. During the late '80s and as recently as 2018, the MLB Japan All-Star Series occurred wherein a select group of major league stars toured the country after the season and played in exhibition games.

As for the competitive side of things, the year 2000 saw the dawn of Major League Baseball teams in Japan as the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets faced off in a two-night extravaganza at the Tokyo Dome. This was followed by three more series in Japan's capital during the 2004, 2008 and 2012 seasons that featured the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox and Athletics.

The most recent tour of the league in Tokyo was in 2019 when they sent Ichiro's Mariners to face off against the Athletics for a two-game series. After the event, the legendary baseball star announced the end of his professional playing career after a trophy-laden 28 seasons in both Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball.