The 2025 MLB season is almost upon us, with all 30 teams training in exhibition games to get ready and try to contend for the World Series. While most teams are competing in Florida and Arizona, there are two teams currently in Japan.
The Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers are currently set to compete in MLB's Tokyo Series. On Tuesday, March 18, and Wednesday, March 19, the Cubs and Dodgers will compete in a two-game series at the Tokyo Dome. Fans in attendance will get to see the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Shota Imanaga, and Seiya Suzuki play.
Considering this series will be taking part in the middle of spring training, some fans are probably wondering if these are just exhibition games, or if they count towards the regular season.
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Do Dodgers vs. Cubs Tokyo Series games count towards regular season?
The answer to that question is yes, the Tokyo Series games do count towards the regular season. Yes, even as other teams compete in spring training games on March 18 and 19.
In the March 18 game, the Dodgers picked up a 4-1 win over the Cubs.
Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya officially was the player to knock in the first run of the season on a double, allowing Dansby Swanson to score in the second inning. But that was the only run the Cubs would score for the remainder of the game.
The Dodgers went on to take the lead and not look back after a three-run fifth inning, with Tommy Edman and Will Smith recording RBI singles and Shohei Ohtani reaching home on a force out by Teoscar Hernandez. In the top of the ninth, Hernandez knocked in Ohtani again, this time on a single to increase their lead to 4-1. The Dodgers are now 1-0 to start the year as they look to defend their World Series title.
This is the fifth time in history that the MLB regular season began in Japan. The first time was in 2000 when the New York Mets took on the Cubs. The last time the season started in Japan was in 2019 with the Oakland Athletics facing the Seattle Mariners.
MLB began seasons outside of the United States and Canada nine other times, including last year when the Los Angeles Dodgers took on the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea. The other locations included Monterrey, Mexico (1999, Colorado Rockies vs. San Diego Padres), San Juan, Puerto Rico (2001, Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays), and Sydney, Australia (2014, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks).
Dodgers vs. Cubs in the Tokyo Series begins at 6:10 a.m. ET/5:10 a.m. CT/3:10 a.m. PT for March 19, which will air on Sportsnet LA, Marquee Network, and FS1.