Opening Day – or rather, Opening Night – for the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball season arrives on Friday, March 28, featuring a full slate of six exciting games (check out this article on JapanBall.com for overseas streaming options). Let’s break down each of the matchups.
Central League
Hanshin Tigers at Hiroshima Carp (6 p.m. Local, 5 a.m. EDT, 2 a.m. PDT)
The 2023 CL MVP Shoki Murakami takes on Carp ace Masato Morishita in a matchup of former Rookie of the Year winners.
https://x.com/yakyucosmo/status/1662623637869039616
Morishita, 27, has posted an excellent 2.77 ERA in 112 career starts, but his declining strikeout rate each year since his 2020 debut raises concerns. However, after showcasing a revamped splitter, which now resembles a harder splinker, during spring training, Morishita could see his strikeout rate climb back over 20% if he reduces reliance on his four-seam fastball in favor of his curveball, changeup, and new splinker.
https://x.com/Shawn_Spradling/status/1828914437954154838
Murakami, 26, took a step back last season after a sensational rookie year featuring a 180 ERA+, 25.8% strikeout rate, and 2.8% walk rate. His second half in 2024 was particularly underwhelming, producing only a 3.80 ERA over the final two months as his walk rate climbed to 8.1%, though he still profiles as a top-15 NPB starter heading into the new campaign.
Yakult Swallows at Yomiuri Giants (6:15 p.m. Local, 5:15 a.m. EDT, 2:15 a.m. PST)
Former top prospect Yasunobu Okugawa aims to start his season strong as he squares off against Giants ace Shosei Togo.
https://x.com/yakyucosmo/status/1668492411532894208
Okugawa https://x.com/yakyucosmo/status/1668492411532894208/video/1was among the elite high school prospects in 2019, ranking alongside Roki Sasaki at the top of draft boards. He quickly showcased elite command as a teenager in 2021, posting a 3.26 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and a 2.4% walk rate as a rookie while helping lead the Swallows to a Japan Series championship. However, elbow issues have limited him to just eight appearances since the start of 2022. In 2024, he struck out only 8.8% of batters at the NPB level, looking like a shell of his former self. Yakult hopes that a (relatively) healthy offseason can help the 23-year-old right-hander revive his once-promising career.
https://x.com/PitchingNinja/status/1638335469304815618
Togo, 24, is coming off one of the best seasons of his young career, posting a personal-best 1.95 ERA over 180 innings in 2024. His splitter ranked among NPB’s most effective pitches last season, generating an elite 41.4% whiff rate and a 58.5% ground-ball rate. But his exhibition outing against the Dodgers served as a microcosm of his biggest flaw, as he surrendered three home runs in a single inning. Keeping the ball in the park will be vital to his continued success.
Chunichi Dragons at DeNA BayStars (6:30 p.m. Local, 5:30 a.m. EDT, 2:30 a.m. PDT)
Last year’s NPB ERA champion Hiroto Takahashi goes up against BayStars ace Katsuki Azuma.
https://x.com/PitchingNinja/status/1638345654471651328
Takahashi has quickly established himself as the premier pitcher in the Central League, posting an incredible 2.10 ERA and 2.16 FIP over his first 65 career starts. Last season, he maintained a sub-one ERA deep into the year, ultimately finishing at 1.38 – the 12th-best mark in NPB history – thanks to his dominant fastball-splinker combo and elite 61.4% ground-ball rate, perfectly suited to the pitcher-friendly confines of Nagoya Dome. The only missing piece for the 22-year-old to enter Sawamura (Japan’s Cy Young) contention is shouldering a bigger workload.
https://x.com/yakyucosmo/status/1713197649212702720
Azuma has been nothing short of excellent over the past two seasons, posting a 2.08 ERA across 50 starts. The southpaw’s remarkable streak of 32 consecutive quality starts, which began in August 2023 and ended in September 2024, underscores his high floor and consistent ability to generate weak contact with a deep arsenal. The defending Japan Series champions will hope an offseason scandal involving an extramarital affair doesn’t become a distraction for the 29-year-old.
Pacific League
Nippon-Ham Fighters at Seibu Lions (6 p.m. Local, 5 a.m. EDT, 2 a.m. PDT)
Young right-hander Shoma Kanemura takes on last year’s NPB strikeout king Tatsuya Imai.
https://x.com/yakyucosmo/status/1642409840063705088
Kanemura might have taken home the PL Rookie of the Year last season if not for the standout performance of Natsuki Takeuchi. The 24-year-old put together a strong campaign with a 128 ERA+ over 136 innings, beginning the year in the bullpen before earning a spot in the rotation. With a seven-pitch mix, he has a real shot at cementing himself as one of NPB’s most promising young arms, following in the footsteps of teammate Hiromi Itoh.
https://x.com/yakyucosmo/status/1835285330221744198
Imai has long battled command issues, but the 26-year-old posted a career-best 9.8% walk rate last year, which is still below average but manageable given his electric stuff. He averaged 95 mph on his four-seamer and struck out 26.3% of batters, relying heavily on a dominant fastball-slider pairing that comprised nearly 90% of his arsenal. This year, he’s looking to mix in more sinkers and splitters to improve his numbers against lefties and potentially surpass the 200-strikeout mark.
Rakuten Eagles at Orix Buffaloes (6:30 p.m. Local, 5:30 a.m. EDT, 2:30 a.m. PDT)
Takahisa Hayakawa goes head-to-head with Hiroya Miyagi in a clash of two of the league’s top Japanese southpaws.
https://x.com/ABL/status/1738103818393625052
Once viewed as a generational prospect, Hayakawa endured a few underwhelming seasons before finally vaulting himself to the top of Rakuten’s rotation in 2024 with a 113 ERA+ in over 170 innings. The 26-year-old led all qualified NPB starters in strikeout rate minus walk rate, utilizing a cutter and changeup as his best weapons. Some regression in his fly ball luck could hurt his numbers, but his improved swing-and-miss stuff should help offset it.
https://x.com/GaijinBaseball/status/1721533308079571168
Miyagi spent years as the No. 2 behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto but rose to the occasion in a big way after Yamamoto’s departure last season. The 23-year-old emerged as arguably Japan’s most dominant starter with a 1.91 ERA, 24.8% strikeout rate, and 3.9% walk rate, falling just a few outs short of qualifying for the ERA title. Armed with a plethora of plus breaking balls, pinpoint command, and savvy sequencing, Miyagi is one of the favorites for the Sawamura Award.
Lotte Marines at SoftBank Hawks (6:30 p.m. Local, 5:30 a.m. EDT, 2:30 a.m. PDT)
Dependable lefty Kazuya Ojima duels veteran Kohei Arihara, who led the PL in innings last season.
https://x.com/GaijinBaseball/status/1897869447940980786
Ojima, 28, struggled to keep the ball in the yard last season, which contributed to a well below-average 85 ERA+. Even so, he remains a reliable, high-floor arm in the Lotte rotation, capable of logging innings and delivering the occasional gem. He was tied for the NPB lead with five complete games last season
https://x.com/yakyucosmo/status/1805554424787648919
Arihara joined SoftBank after an underwhelming two-year stint with the Texas Rangers. Despite lacking overpowering stuff, the 32-year-old posted a solid 128 ERA+ and stepped up as the team’s de facto ace before Livan Moinelo found his place as a top starter. The defending PL champions will be counting on Arihara once again to provide stability and volume in the rotation.
