I’m operating on little to no sleep, but Dodgers Baseball is back so I don’t care. The Dodgers opened the 2025 season at the Tokyo dome in Japan with a two-game series against the Chicago Cubs. Last season the Dodgers made history by winning the World Series and conquering the baseball world. They’re looking to do what no team in MLB has done in 25 years, repeat as champions. So the Dodgers kicked off their title defense with a 4-1 win in the series opener. It’s Dodgers baseball at the crack of dawn. What could be better?
The Dodgers had to do it without Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Mookie is out for the series due to an illness and the Dodgers sent him back to Los Angeles to recover. Freddie was a late scratch because of left rib cage discomfort. It didn’t matter because the Dodgers did what they normally do, grind opposing pitchers into dust with their superb plate discipline. The Dodgers drew eight walks against Chicago pitching.
The pitching match-up naturally pitted a pair of Japanese hurlers with Yoshinobu Yamamoto against Shota Imanaga. I figured runs would be difficult to come by in the early frames since the Dodgers were feckless versus Imanaga last year. Most of the National League was. It was Yamamoto who was dominant as he held the Cubs to just one earned run on three hits across five innings issuing only one walk and striking out four.
A three-run inning for the lead! pic.twitter.com/eduUy41Rxj
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 18, 2025
I was right, as the Dodgers did not collect a hit against Imanaga, drawing four walks in his four innings of work. The Cubs took the lead first in the bottom of the second when Dansby Swanson singled to center and scored on an RBI double from Chicago catcher Miguel Amaya.
The Dodgers scored most of their runs in the fifth inning when they put up three runs against the Chicago bullpen. Andy Pages worked a one-out walk and Shohei Ohtani (who else?) notched the Dodger’s first base knock of the season with a slice hit to right field sending Pages to third. Tommy Edman’s tear drop into left fell in front of Cub’s left fielder Ian Happ scoring Pages and tying the game at 1-1. Happ tried to make the catch but ended up trapping the ball. The Dodgers scored their second run on a throwing error from second baseman Jon Berti during Teoscar Hernandez’s chopper to third. Will Smith’s RBI flare single into left plated Teo to put the Dodgers ahead 3-1.
The Dodger’s talented bullpen took it from there. Anthony Banda, Ben Casperius, Blake Treinen, and newly acquired Tanner Scott tossed four shutout innings registering five punch-outs to finish off the win for the Dodgers. The boys in blue added the fourth run of the game in the top of the ninth when Ohtani roped a double down the right field line (2 for 5 2 runs scored) and Teo brought him home with an RBI single to left.
🤢🤢🤢 pic.twitter.com/SPQ3oZLPJt
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 18, 2025
The Dodgers had seven hits, eight walks, and two doubles. They were 3 for 15 with runners in scoring position and left eleven men on base. The Cubs did not record a hit after the third inning. Old friend Justin Turner made his Chicago debut, flying out to center in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The two teams will do it again in the middle of the night tomorrow as Roki Sasaki makes his Dodgers debut. The Cubs will send Justin Steele to the mound to counter. I don’t think I can hang tomorrow. I’ll have to record the game and watch later. I better get some sleep before I start to hallucinate, but the Dodgers are back in business and looking to shove a Dodgers dynasty down baseball’s throat.
Nice win. Imanaga was filthy. Glad he only went 4 innings.