In the opening game of the 2025 MLB season on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers demonstrated just how stacked they are in pursuit of their second consecutive World Series, beating the Cubs 4-1 at the Tokyo Dome.

After the Cubs took the early lead in the second inning, the Dodgers' offense got going in the fifth and never looked back. Japanese star Shohei Ohtani went 2-for-5 and scored two of the Dodgers' runs.

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The starting pitchers did their jobs in their home country, with Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto going five innings, striking out four and allowing one run. Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga didn't allow a hit but issued four walks against two strikeouts in four innings.

The Cubs mustered only three hits against Dodgers pitching, all of them in the second and third innings. Dodgers relievers took the baton from Yamamoto and kept rolling, with Tanner Scott getting his first Dodgers save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Cubs relievers didn't have the same luck, with Ben Brown surrendering three runs in the fifth after a walk to Andy Pages, hits from Shohei Ohtani and Tommy Edman, and an error by second baseman Jon Berti. Will Smith tacked on another run before Brown struck out Max Muncy to end the threat.

In the ninth, Ohtani led off with a double, reached third on an Edman groundout and scored on a Teoscar Hernández single to give the Dodgers some insurance.

The teams will play again at the same time (6:10 a.m. ET) Wednesday, with the Dodgers' newest Japanese addition, Roki Sasaki, making his MLB debut against Cubs starter Justin Steele.

Catch up on how the game unfolded Tuesday in Tokyo: