Shohei Ohtani reminded both sides of the Pacific why he’s a champion on Tuesday in Tokyo.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star led his team to a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the 2025 season opener, which comes five months after winning his first World Series title. Following a first pitch that came in around 3am in LA, Ohtani doubled, singled and scored twice in the first leg of the two-game Tokyo Series.

Playing in front of their home country, Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga both pitched well in the first all-Japanese starting pitching matchup on opening day in MLB history. Imanaga threw four scoreless innings, allowing no hits but walking four.

The Dodgers jumped on Cubs reliever Ben Brown (0-1) in the fifth, scoring three runs, partly because of a throwing error by second baseman Jon Berti. Tommy Edman and Will Smith had RBI singles.

Ohtani was part of the rally, delivering a hard-hit single through the right side. He finished 2 for 5 at the plate, including a double to lead off the ninth, eventually scoring another run.

Shohei Ohtani reacts after reaching second base during the ninth inning

A young Los Angeles Dodgers fan is interviewed while holding a caricature of Shohei Ohtani

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is greeted on the field by 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren during team intros

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Yamamoto (1-0) gave up one run on three hits and a walk, striking out four. Tanner Scott earned his first save.

‘I was actually pretty nervous,’ Ohtani told MLB Network anchor and former Seattle Mariners star Harold Reynolds through his translator after the game. ‘It’s been awhile since I was nervous, but today, definitely felt it.’

Asked about playing in front of a packed Tokyo Dome with screaming fans and countless posters bearing his image, Ohtani admitted that his return to Japan did feel a bit strange.

‘It’s just a very unique environment and unique situation, where I do feel the fans are expecting me to get some hits,’ the reigning National League MVP told Reynolds. ‘So that was a little bit different.’

Fans at the Tokyo Dome showed their reverence for Ohtani by going silent when he was at the plate, which is a major departure from Dodger Stadium.

‘I did notice the silence,’ he said. ‘It didn’t really bother me when I was at the plate, but I did recognize it and had to adjust a little bit.’

Ohtani walks onto the field at Tokyo Dome amid some fog from a dry ice machine nearby

A fan shows an image of Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, who is ubiquitous in Tokyo

Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s games are scheduled for Tokyo Dome (pictured)

LA’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0) gave up one run on three hits and a walk, striking out four

Chicago’s Shota Imanaga threw four scoreless innings, allowing no hits but walking four.

As for Ohtani’s offseason shoulder surgery, the two-way star appeared to be fine.

Not only did he get two hits, but also appeared to run the bases without any pain from the injury he suffered in Game 2 of the World Series.

‘My body feels really good,’ he said. ‘I was able to slide, run around with no hesitation. I think we got the first game out of the way and I should be able to enjoy the second game tomorrow.’

Japanese rookie Roki Sasaki will make his MLB debut for the Dodgers while left-hander Justin Steele takes the mound for the Cubs on Wednesday night for the final game in Tokyo.

Yamamoto, Anthony Banda, Ben Casparius and Blake Treinen combined to retire 16 batters in a row from the third to the eighth innings. The streak ended when Treinen hit Berti with a pitch with one out in the eighth.

Chicago’s Miguel Amaya drove in Dansby Swanson with a two-out double that made it 1-0 in the second. The Cubs didn’t have a hit after the third.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman was scratched before the game because of left rib discomfort. Shortstop Mookie Betts will miss both games in Japan because of an illness.

Ohtani’s single was the first hit of the game for the Dodgers, helping start a rally that would turn the game in their favor.

A fan shows a shirt featuring Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani before an MLB Japan Series baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome

Baseball in Japan — the game is called ‘yakyu’ (field ball) in Japanese — carries more of a rock-concert vibe than its American cousin. And with Shohei Ohtani teasing fans for a week in Tokyo as the two-game series approached, it’s a true spectacle.

You don’t see the following routinely in North America. You did Tuesday in the Tokyo Dome.

Young women carry beer kegs on their backs, drawing a cold draft while you’re seated watching the game. Fans are clearly more animated. Even elderly men come with a glove — just in case. And chopsticks are in use as fans watching the game snack on noodles or a rice dish.

The food selection at the concession stands is mostly Asian, but popcorn and beer are plentiful. You can even buy a version of Cracker Jack.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he played baseball in Puerto Rico and Mexico and suggested the Japanese game and the Latin American game were linked.

‘I would say the similarity is the passion from the fans. I think in Tokyo it’s a little more controlled emotion, chaos. Where in Latin America, playing winter ball — in the best possible way — it’s chaotic and a lot of passion.’

‘It’s definitely close,’ Dodgers Venezuelan shortstop Miguel Rojas said. ‘They enjoy the game a little bit different than the United States. This is the closest thing you will find (to Latin America).’

A woman smiles after taking a selfie with MLB player lookalikes outside the Tokyo Dome

Dodgers teammate Kike Hernandez, a Puerto Rican, drew a deft comparison.

‘When it comes to just culture as it is, the Latin culture and Japanese culture can’t be more far apart from each other,’ he said. ‘But when it comes to the passion and the way that fans enjoy the game — it’s the closest thing to it.’

The food selection in the Tokyo Dome is all-world. And the food prices fall in the reasonable range, though the portions are probably smaller.

The food prices are a sharp contrast to the fact that a ticket for the Dodgers-Cubs series was selling on the secondary market in the $2,000-$8,000 range. At least one ticket was being advertised for $10,000.

A large draft beer in the food concourse was about 900 yen or $6. A double-cheese hot dog will set you back 1,000 yen, about $6.50.

For eats, there’s kimchi noodles, garlic-pepper chicken, Japanese-style dumplings and dozens of other choices. A pita sandwich will set you back about 1,300 yen — $8.50. Add to this many ballpark staples — pizza, fries and soft-serve ice cream.

Let’s eat. In Japanese that’s ‘tabemashou.’