Major League Baseball’s regular season kicked off on Tuesday with an opening pitch thrown from halfway around the world.

About a dozen Japanese played in MLB last season, headlined by Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. They came up through Nippon Professional Baseball and waited for free agency under the Japanese system, or were allowed to go earlier by their clubs.

Major League Baseball 's 2025 season begins in Japan on Tuesday, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs squaring off at the Tokyo Dome in one of the most anticipated international games ever. “It’s going to be absolutely crazy," Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez said before the teams left for Japan.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts will miss both games of the upcoming Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs because of illness, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has announced. However, Betts is expected to recover in time to play in the Dodgers' stateside opener against the Detroit Tigers on March 27.

Manager Dave Roberts said that Mookie Betts is starting to feel better but has lost nearly 15 pounds and is still trying to get rehydrated and gain strength.