The Cubs and Dodgers have been “privately informed they have been selected to open the 2025 season in Tokyo," according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. The Cubs, who have spring training in Arizona, are “expected to return to Arizona after the series and open their domestic season on the West Coast” before heading home to Chicago (USA TODAY, 3/24). In L.A., Jack Harris wrote MLB’s decision to include the Dodgers in the league's 2025 Japan games “became a logical decision” after Japanese stars P/DH Shohei Ohtani and P Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with the club this offseason. In recent months, team officials had viewed their selection for the trip as a “strong possibility.” A source said that the final pairing has “not been decided yet,” though a Dodgers described the team’s chances of being officially picked for the trip as the “likely outcome.” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “I have heard rumblings. I hope we’re included. I know there’s nothing finalized yet. But obviously it would make a lot of sense.” Harris noted if selected, the Dodgers would become the "first MLB team to open back-to-back seasons with overseas trips" (L.A. TIMES, 3/24).
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ELECTRIC EXPERIENCE: In Newark, Randy Miller reports a crowd of 20,735 was in attendance yesterday at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú to watch the Yankees take on Mexican League club Diablos Rojos del Mexico. There was “probably three-fourths of them dressed in red and the others donning Yankees attire," and fans were "singing, chanting and blowing their whistles and horns the whole game.” All day long, the fans let out rounds of “Vamos Diablos” chants as the Yankees marked their first visit to Mexico City since they competed in two exhibitions in 1968. Yankees RF Giancarlo Stanton said the atmosphere was "great throughout the game," as the fans were "engaged the whole time.” Miller writes “standing out more than anything, the crowd lived up to Latin America baseball tradition," with fans “sounding off clickers and horns and buzzers.” This was just a spring training game to the Diablos, too, but their fans “celebrated like their team won the World Series.” Thousands were "still hanging around singing and chanting and blowing horns an hour after the game ended." Yankees C Jose Trevino said, “I’m not going to say it felt like Opening Day, but the energy was there. It didn’t feel like a spring training game. It felt like it was a game game.” SS Anthony Volpe said the Yankees “came here to grow the game, but the game is just as prevalent as it is in the States” (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 3/25).
