The Cubs dropped some news Tuesday afternoon regarding their Opening Day starter.

And it should come as no shock:

Shota Imanaga will take the ball for Game 1 against the Dodgers in Tokyo, Japan on March 18:

The Cubs already confirmed Imanaga would pitch in Japan as he makes his return to his home country, where he spent the first 8 seasons of his career.

“Shota’s gonna pitch in Japan,” Craig Counsell said as the Cubs kicked off spring training on Feb. 9. “I think that’s mandated, kind of. I don’t think I have a choice, actually.”

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Counsell was playing around with the topic, but he has a point – the fans in Japan will certainly want to see Imanaga pitch in Tokyo, especially going up against the likes of Shohei Ohtani.

Imanaga was a no-brainer selection to appear in either of the team’s first 2 games – the only question was whether he would start Game 1 or if Justin Steele (last year’s Opening Day starter) would get the nod.

The 31-year-old Imanaga was a revelation in his first season in the U.S., going 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 173.1 innings. He was an All-Star, finished 5th in Cy Young voting and 4th in Rookie of the Year voting.

The Dodgers have already announced their starters for the 2-game set in Tokyo: Japanese right-handers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.