BOX SCORE

The Chicago Cubs will open their 2025 campaign against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the top franchise in the U.S. But first, they wrapped preparations by facing one of Japan’s premier teams, the Yomiuri Giants, 22-time winners of the Japan Series.

The Cubs used a four-run fifth inning — highlighted by Matt Shaw‘s two-run single — to beat the Giants 4-2 on Sunday, and now have two days before they play the Dodgers in the MLB Tokyo Series regular-season opener.

Here are three takeaways from the Cubs’ exhibition finale at the Tokyo Dome:

Offense breaks through

The Cubs’ bats woke up after a dormant first game in Japan. It did take them a few innings to do so, though. They batted around in the top of the fifth and scored four runs against left-handed starter Foster Griffin.

It might have been a small preview of what the offense can do if everything is clicking.

Yes, Shaw and Pete Crow-Armstrong (leadoff double) had the big knocks in the frame — more on them in a bit — but it was the nature of the at-bats that should have fans excited. Six hitters reached base, but even the outs were difficult at-bats.

Catcher Carson Kelly (six pitches) and Seiya Suzuki (seven pitches) both struck out but had long at-bats that racked up Griffin’s pitch count. Dansby Swanson grounded into a fielder’s choice that required a nifty play from Giants second baseman Naoki Yoshikawa.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell often emphasizes the need for a lineup to function as a circle — just stack together good at-bats on top of each other without emphasizing who hits where in the order. The fifth inning was a good example of that — the seven-hole hitter, Crow-Armstrong, started things, and Shaw, in the five-spot in the order, delivered the big knock.

That circle that Counsell preaches wasn’t there for portions of 2024. The Cubs’ offensive struggles in May and June last year were compounded by a bottom third of the order that essentially was a non-factor. The 7-8-9 hitters in the order slashed .198/.268/.286 over those two months, and the .554 OPS from those hitters was the third-worst mark in baseball over that span.

Yes, it’s one inning in one exhibition game, it should be encouraging for the Cubs.

Young bats show off

Speaking of sneak peeks, Crow-Armstrong and Shaw showed why the Cubs are so bullish on the young duo.

Crow-Armstrong led off the fifth with a 106-mph liner to the right-center gap — a single for most players but a double for the speedster. He swiped third on the next pitch and scored two batters later on a Gage Workman single.

The Cubs center fielder struggled for much of the first half of 2024, but some swing adjustments led to a strong finish as he slashed .289/.336/.469 (.806 OPS) with a 123 weighted runs created plus (23 percentage points above league average) with seven home runs, 30 RBI and nine stolen bases. He was hitting .519 with three home runs, 11 RBI and a 1.500 OPS in Cactus League play this year before taking off for Japan.

Shaw, meanwhile, delivered the big blow of the inning with a 100-mph, bases-loaded single that drove in two runs with two outs. He was slowed down this spring with left oblique tightness but looks poised to debut as the Cubs’ Opening Day starter at third base.

The Cubs have had a revolving door at third base since they traded away Kris Bryant in 2021. Christopher Morel looked like the player to fill that void, but his defense and inconsistency at the plate led the front office to ship him to the Tampa Bay Rays for Isaac Paredes last summer. Paredes, a former Cubs minor leaguer, was primed to be next in line, but he was dealt to the Houston Astros for Kyle Tucker in December. Now, Shaw could be the one who finally sticks.

Now they count …

Counsell has had time on this trip to take in some sights around Tokyo, and while doing so, he has sensed the palpable buzz surrounding the two-game set against the Dodgers.

“Just jumping in like a taxi or an Uber, and like, they don’t know who you are but mentioning the series — everybody’s very aware of, the series, that is evident for sure,” the Cubs manager told reporters in a press conference before Sunday’s game. “Frankly, more than, I feel like it would be in America. More people are talking about it, absolutely. So, that’s a great feeling.”

Yes, these contests against LA are just two of 162. But there’s a different aura to them and makes for a special environment.

“The players love big events, and that’s why we do this,” Counsell said. “That’s why we love to do it. So, to be a part of that is another reason it’s so special.”