CHICAGO — A 9-year-old Seiya Suzuki sat in the stands of the Tokyo Dome with eyes peeled on New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui as he warmed up for a game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2004.
It marked the second time a Major League season opener was played in Tokyo, and Suzuki’s first opportunity to see his hero in a Yankees uniform.
“I never thought that I would be the one to open the season in Japan as a Major Leaguer,” said Chicago Cubs’ outfielder Suzuki through a translator on Friday.
Suzuki will follow in Matsui’s shoes and return for the league’s sixth installment of the Japan series in 2025. He’ll be joined by Japanese-born Cubs’ pitcher Shota Imanaga for two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Tokyo Dome on March 18-19.
Suzuki and Imanaga hope the series has a Matsui-esque impact on the Japanese fans in attendance.
“I’m really excited for it. I’m hoping that the Japanese fans enjoy it over there,” Imanaga said through a translator. “I want to prepare so I’m not an embarrassment or anything for them.”
Suzuki was a five-time all-star across nine seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB) before signing a five-year deal with Chicago in 2022.
Imanaga, a two-time NPB all-star over eight seasons in Japan, signed with the Cubs this offseason. Imanaga was the team’s lone representative at the All-Star Game on Tuesday, when he tossed one scoreless inning.
With years of playing experience in Japan, Suzuki and Imanaga have built close bonds with other Japanese-born players. Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Dodgers are a pair they know well.
“With the Japanese players facing each other, there’s gonna be a tension regardless of if it’s here or there,” Imanaga said. “I think they’re going to enjoy it.”
Suzuki remembers how loud the Tokyo Dome can get with the cheering and instruments. In some ways, it compares to a packed Wrigley Field. He and Imanaga are looking forward to sharing the experience with their Chicago teammates and Cubs manager Craig Counsell.
“It’s something that’s an adventure,” Counsell said. “I think I just feel blessed about, like, baseball is gonna give me an opportunity to do something that’s really fun and really cool.”
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