The MLB Tokyo Series will start Major League Baseball’s regular season from the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Game 1 will feature two Japanese-born starting pitchers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Shōta Imanaga for the Chicago Cubs.
Both pitchers represented Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Last season, Yamamoto made his MLB debut and held a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts. He struck out 105 batters in his rookie season and was a key player for the Dodgers in the postseason. He made four postseason starts with a 2-0 record, 3.86 ERA, and 15 strikeouts.
Imanaga was also a rookie last season. He was named an All-Star, finished fifth in the National League Cy Young Award race, and was fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He had a 2.91 ERA in 29 starts for the Cubs. Yamamoto and Imanaga’s matchup will set up another Japanese-born starter in Game 2 as Rōki Sasaki debuts against Justin Steele.
AP File Photos
