 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
 |
| Boston days. He is one of the leading players in the 2013 World Series. Sports Chosun DB |
|
 |
| Hukudome played three and a half years for the Chicago Cubs. Sports Chosun DB |
|
 |
| UPIYonhap News |
|
 |
| APYonhap News |
|
Speaking of the late former LA Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, the world's happiest day has come. The U.S. Major League Baseball will open in Japan in 2025. The opening series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs will be held at Tokyo Dome from the 18th to the 19th. He will start in Asia for the second consecutive year following the Seoul Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres last year. It is a special event planned by Major League Baseball to expand its market and globalize.
The reaction is explosive. Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) and the Major League Baseball craze hit. Since the Dodgers arrived at Haneda Airport on the 13th, every move by all players and family members, as well as "Superstar," has become a hot topic.
The two teams warmed up against the Japanese team. He played practice games twice with the Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers in front of a packed crowd at Tokyo Dome. The heat is so hot that the Japanese professional baseball, which opens next week, seems to have given way to the Major League for a while.
The opening series with a lot of spotlight. Two Japanese legends pitch the first pitch. Fukudome Kosuke (48) pitched the first game, and Uehara Koji (50) pitched the second game. Fukudome scored the best in the Chunichi Dragons and Uehara Yomiuri and challenged for the major leagues.
There are some who have played better in the major leagues than the two legends. There is a legend that looks more symbolic.
First, Hideo Nomo and Hiroki Kuroda. Both went through the Dodgers. Opening the door wide to the major leagues 'Pioneer' Old Mother won the Rookie of the Year award with the Dodgers. He played in 323 major league games and won 123 games. He has achieved no-heater games twice in both leagues and ranked first in strikeouts twice.
Hiroshima Carp ace Kuroda also played as the main pitcher for the Dodgers for five seasons. For the first time, the United States recorded `200 wins.'
 |
| APYonhap News |
|
 |
| ReutersYonhap News |
|
 |
| APYonhap News |
|
However, this Tokyo Series will be held as a home game for the Cubs, not the Dodgers. The Dodgers of Ohtani, Yamamoto Yoshinobu and Sasaki Rocky are receiving overwhelming attention, but the Cubs are the hosts. This is why Fukudome and Uehara were selected as first pitchers.
Chunichi slugger Fukudome signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Cubs in 2008. In the final year of his contract, he was traded to the Cleveland Guardians and then transferred to the Chicago White Sox. While playing in the Major League for five seasons, he had a batting average of 258-498 hits, 42 home runs, and 195 RBIs.
Uehara spent the end of his major league career with the Cubs. In 2017, he played in 49 games for the Cubs, recording 3 wins, 4 losses, 2 saves and 14 holds. The following year, he returned to the Yomiuri Giants, threw for another year, and retired. Some say they are puzzled about being selected as a starting pitcher from the Cubs due to the short period of enrollment.
Yomiuri ace Uehara wore the Baltimore Orioles uniform in 2009. He then threw for the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox. He succeeded by switching from a major league to a middling game. He contributed to Boston's World Series victory in 2013.
 |
| Yonhap News |
|
 |
| Yonhap News |
|
In the first game of last year's Seoul Series, Park Chan-ho took the mound as the first pitchman. No one is better than Park Chan-ho as the first pitchman for the first major league game in Korea. Park Chan-ho, the first Korean major leaguer, went through both the Dodgers and San Diego teams. In the second game, a young baseball player went out.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
