Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga is set to throw the very first pitch of Major League Baseball's 2025 season to Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani when the two teams meet at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday.
"It will be a historic game," Imanaga told a press conference Monday at the venue, where he will make history with Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the first Japanese pitchers to go head-to-head as MLB Opening Day starters.
Imanaga expects the much-hyped season opener to be the biggest moment of his career. Both games of the Tokyo Series are treated as home games for the Cubs.
"It'll probably be No. 1," Imanaga said, when asked where the start will rank among his career highlights. "I hope to make it the first thing that comes to my mind when I finish my playing career."
Imanaga started against the United States in the final of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, allowing one run in two innings of work in Japan's 3-2 victory as a teammate of Ohtani and Yamamoto.
"Without doubt, he (Ohtani) is the world's best player. I'll just throw my best pitches to him. After that, it'll be only whether he hits or not. I try not to do things I can't do."
Imanaga and Yamamoto have been named their teams' Opening Day starters after successful 2024 rookie seasons.
Imanaga had a 15-3 record with a 2.91 ERA in 29 starts.
Yamamato went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts in an injury-interrupted season after signing a 12-year, $325-million deal that made him the highest paid pitcher in MLB history.
"It will be the second time that Yamamoto and I have pitched in the same game," Imanaga said at the press conference.
On Sept. 10, 2024, Imanaga was the winning pitcher after allowing three runs in seven innings, while Yamamoto held the Cubs to one run in four innings of work in his first start in three months.
"He is the type of pitcher who can create momentum for the offense, and if he does, I will just try my best and do my job," Imanaga said.
The Cubs are scheduled to send another left-hander, Justin Steele, to the mound in Game 2 against rookie Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki for the Dodgers.
Imanaga said he once talked to Steele about how he handles pressure.
"He mentioned, you know, in 100 years, nobody's going to remember this. But I feel like...what if I do live 100 years," he said.
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