Game 1 of the Tokyo Series marked the start of the Major League Baseball regular season from the Tokyo Dome in Japan, with the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the Chicago Cubs 4-1.
Game 1 featured two Japanese-born starting pitchers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the and Shōta Imanaga. Imanaga gave the Cubs four scoreless innings, while Yamamoto went five innings and picked up a win. All eyes will now be on Rōki Sasaki, who is set to make his MLB debut against Justin Steele.
Sasaki was the most coveted international free agent this offseason. He left Japan early, signing with the Dodgers as an amateur free agent. He pitched for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball and had a 2.02 ERA in Japan. Last season, he had a 2.35 ERA with 129 strikeouts. His arm was on full display at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, where he mowed through the best players in the world. This spring, he has pitched seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
Opposite of Sasaki will be Steele. He was an All-Star in 2023 and held a 3.07 ERA last season. In 24 starts, he had 135 strikeouts for the Cubs. Unlike Sasaki, Steele has pitched in the big leagues for four seasons. He has struggled this spring, pitching to a 9.35 ERA in three starts, spanning 8 2/3 innings.
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