With Spring Training getting underway and several players still making their plans for the 2025 season, Opening Day in leagues across the globe are getting set for the upcoming season.
While many will be focused on the MLB, several other leagues across the globe will also begin their respective seasons. Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (LMB), Korea Baseball Organizaton (KBO), Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), are the main leagues outside of the United States that play around the same time as MLB. We’ll take a dive into each league, with a preview of each league for the 2025 season.
Major League Baseball
Most fans are anticipating the start of Spring Training, with games set to be played in just a few more weeks. In 2024, we saw the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the New York Yankees in the World Series. Since the conclusion of the World Series, we saw the Yankees lose Juan Soto to the New York Mets in the largest free agent contract signed in the history of sports. Besides Soto, we’ll see a ton of new faces in new places for 2025, including the debut of Roki Sasaki who comes over after tremendous success in Japan. MLB’s Opening Series will be held at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, when the Chicago Cubs face the Los Angeles Dodgers from March 18-19. The rest of the league will begin play on March 27.
Liga Mexicana de Beisbol
Also preparing for another exciting year of baseball is Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (LMB). We saw the Diablos Rojos del México defeat the Sultanes de Monterrey in the Serie del Rey in 2024, where Robinson Cano and Trevor Bauer powered the Diablos Rojos by sweeping Monterrey in four straight games to be crowned champions. For 2025, Trevor Bauer will be headed back to Japan, but Robinson Cano will return for another season with the Diablos. Opening Day for LMB will take place on April 18, with ten games on the slate.
Korea Baseball Organization
The KBO provided tons of excitement in 2024, as fans watched Do-Yeong Kim become the youngest player in KBO history to put together a 30/30 season with hitting over 30 home runs and stealing over 30 bases. Kim would help his Kia Tigers secure the 2024 Korean Series against the Samsung Lions, defeating them in five games to capture the KBO title. For 2025, the KBO has included new rule changes when it comes to extra innings, along with adjustments to its postseason. Opening Day in KBO is set for March 22. Pre-season games will begin on March 8.
Nippon Professional Baseball
Nippon Professional Baseball always provides tons of attention, as at least three to four players annually make the transition to the MLB. After the 2024 season, the league lost pitchers Roki Sasaki, Koyo Aoyagi, and Shinnosuke Ogasawara as they all signed contracts in the MLB for 2025. In 2024, the Yokohama DeNa Baystars defeated the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in six games to become the Japan Series champions. This could also be the final season of Munetaka Murakami in NPB, as he has been verbal about his plans to transition to MLB. The NPB is set to begin play on March 28, with pre-season games beginning February 22.
Chinese Professional Baseball League
The Chinese Professional Baseball League is a smaller league, but also features former MLB veterans, along with several players who have represented Chinese Taipei at several World Baseball Classic events. The CTBC Brothers won the Taiwan Series in 2024, defeating the Uni President 7-Eleven Lions in five games. Players are still finalizing their agreements for the
CPBL for 2025, with the most recent newcomers joining in 2025 are pitchers Yohander Mendez, Felix Peña, and Jonathan Bermudez. Opening Day for the CPBL is scheduled for March 29.
