Opening Day every year is special. But in 2025, it will mean even more to so many people.

As Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga fires the first pitch of the season to his countryman, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, it will carry historical significance and leave a lasting impact beyond a normal first game of the season.

History will be made when Imanaga toes the rubber opposite another compatriot, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It’s the first time in MLB history that two Japanese-born pitchers are starting against each other on Opening Day and in a game in Japan. That history isn’t lost on the Cubs’ lefty.

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“I’m very honored,” Imanaga said earlier this spring through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “I have to say, though, that the reason that the Japanese players are getting a lot of attention is because of all the players in the past that came before us who created this path for all the Japanese players, and we’re walking on their history.

“So I want to say thank you to all of them, and I’m very excited.”

It’s the crowning moment in what might be the golden generation of Japanese baseball. The game’s biggest star, Ohtani hails from Japan. Arguably the most sought-after free agent this winter was pitching phenom Roki Sasaki, who will pitch game two for the Dodgers. Seiya Suzuki is expected to be a key hitter for a Cubs team with expectations to be playing in October.

That’s not just limited to the two teams playing on Tuesday. The San Diego Padres feature Yu Darvish, a godfather-like veteran for Japanese players and relief pitcher Yuki Matsui. Yusei Kikuchi signed a 3-year, $63-million contract with the Angels this offseason. Kodai Senga was an All-Star in 2023 for the Mets. The list can go on and on.

And there’s a wave of more Japanese talent on the way. Third baseman Munetaka Murakami has 241 career home runs – including a 56-homer season in 2022 – with the Yakult Swallows and can be posted this offseason.

“I get a lot of questions about, ‘Oh, who is this Japanese player? How good is he? When is he going to come to MLB?’” Imanaga told reporters in Tokyo last week. “I think a lot of people in the U.S. are taking notice of baseball in Japan.

“I’m looking forward to a lot of Japanese players in the future coming to the U.S. and taking that challenge on.”

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For all its faults, social media has helped make the world smaller. People in Japan can see highlights at a moment’s notice and see how players are faring in MLB. Someone like Darvish, who has close to a million subscribers on his YouTube channel and nearly 3 million on X (formerly Twitter) routinely posts clips, breakdowns or interviews.

That’s led to more curiosity from players in the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB) to want to test themselves across the Pacific Ocean.

“I think as well as other players posting on media – whether that be social media about how to make improvements, how to make adjustments – I think being able to see that, having access to that, I think there is part where you want to improve as a player,” Imanaga said. “And I think because of that, the distance from Japan to watching MLB baseball, or just MLB in general, is a lot closer because of media.”

For two days it’ll be as close as possible, with the Cubs and Dodgers squaring off at the historic Tokyo Dome. And they’ll be paving the way for the next wave of Japanese talent, one that they all hope will be even better than this crop of players.

“I feel like it’s really all thanks to the Japanese players that came before us who created the stepping stone for us to be here now,” Suzuki told reporters last week in Tokyo through Stanberry. “And I think I want to be kind of the stepping stone for the future generation of Japanese players to come play in the MLB.

“So, I’m going to work hard, try my best so hopefully more Japanese players can come play in the MLB.”