TOKYO (AP) — Shohei Ohtani hit a solo homer in his return to the Tokyo Dome, Roki Sasaki threw three eventful innings in his big-league debut and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3 on Wednesday night to sweep the two-game series in Japan.
Kiké Hernández hit a two-run homer and Tommy Edman added a solo shot. Ohtani’s homer in the fifth barely cleared the right-center fence and the call was reviewed by umpires before being confirmed, giving the Dodgers a 6-2 lead.
Sasaki gave up one run and one hit while striking out three, but also walked five batters, including a free pass that forced in a run. Landon Knack (1-0) got the win, pitching two scoreless innings of relief.
Alex Vesia handled the ninth to earn the save after working out of a two-out jam. Shortstop Miguel Rojas made a stellar defensive play for the final out, ranging far to his right to grab a grounder from Matt Shaw before making a strong throw to first.
Cubs left-hander Justin Steele (0-1) was tagged for five runs over four innings, giving up the homers to Hernández and Edman. Jon Berti had three of Chicago’s eight hits.
The Dodgers were without Freddie Freeman (ribs) and Mookie Betts (illness) for a second straight game. Roberts is hopeful that Freeman and Betts will both be ready for the domestic season opener on March 27.
Shohei Ohtani hits first homer of season, Dodgers sweep Cubs in Tokyo Series: Highlights
The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers picked up right where they left off last fall, sweeping the Chicago Cubs in MLB’s season-opening Tokyo Series.
Reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani delighted a sellout crowd at the Tokyo Dome by hitting his first home run of the year as the Dodgers defeated the Cubs 6-3 in the finale of the two-game set.
The game also featured 23-year-old right-hander Rōki Sasaki making his MLB debut on the mound in his home country, giving the Dodgers a trio of Japanese stars alongside Ohtani and Tuesday’s winning pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
After Wednesday’s game, the teams will come back to the United States and get ready for the domestic opening day on March 27.
Here are the highlights from Wednesday’s action.
Happy flight: Dodgers sweep Cubs in Tokyo Series
The Dodgers take game two of the Tokyo Series and sweep the Chicago Cubs. Alex Vesia closed out the ninth inning to earn the save as the Dodgers beat the Cubs 6-3.
Shohei Ohtani intentionally walked
With a runner on second base and first base open and two outs, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked by Julian Merryweather in the seventh inning –– and the fans at the Tokyo Dome were not happy about it. It turned out to be a good move. Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw threw out Tommy Edman on a diving play and saved a run to close out the inning.
Cubs cut deficit to 6-3
Trying to stem the momentum from Shohei Ohtani’s majestic home run in the top of the fifth, the Cubs got a run back in the bottom of the inning against Dodgers reliever Jack Dreyer, who was making his MLB debut.
With two outs and no one on base, rookie Matt Shaw hit a grounder that deflected off Dreyer’s glove for an infield single. Dansby Swanson followed that with a double into the left field corner to score a sliding Shaw and bring the Cubs back to within three runs.
Shohei Ohtani slugs first home run of the season
After the Cubs clawed back a run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Ian Happ, Shohei Ohtani gave the Tokyo Dome crowd what it came to see.
Facing Cubs reliever Nate Pearson, Ohtani turned around a 99.1 mph fastball and launched a high fly ball to right center. As the outfielders retreated to the warning track, a fan reached out and deflected the ball back onto the playing field.
The initial call of a home run went to replay, which confirmed the first homer and RBI of Ohtani’s 2025 season.
He led the National League a year ago in both categories with 54 home runs and 130 RBI.
Rōki Sasaki’s major league debut is over
Rōki Sasaki’s MLB debut is done after three innings: 1 run, 1 hit, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts, 56 pitches. He hit 100 mph several times, but struggled with command, walking one run in. Luis Garcia takes the mound for the Dodgers in the fourth inning.
Dodgers extend lead with another home run
After the Cubs scored on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the third inning, the Dodgers responded again in the fourth. Kiké Hernandez slugged a two-run home run off Justin Steele to extend the lead to 5-1.
According to Inside Edge, The Dodgers are 112-30 (.789) when they’ve hit two or more home runs since the 2023 season, second best in MLB.
Key moment
Ohtani’s homer was the moment all of Japan was waiting to see. The 30-year-old once again delivered in a big spot and had three hits in the two games in Tokyo.
Key stat
The first six pitches of Sasaki’s MLB career registered 99.5, 99.5, 100, 100.5, 99.4 and 98.9 mph on the radar gun.
Up next
Both teams return home, though the Dodgers will go directly to Los Angeles while the Cubs return to their spring training home in Mesa, Arizona. The Dodgers open the domestic regular season schedule at home against the Detroit Tigers on March 27 while the Cubs are on the road at the Arizona Diamondbacks on the same day.
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