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Cubs Pitcher Thrilled to Be in Japan for Tokyo Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Conor Liguori | Last updated Mar 16, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers are preparing to play a two-game series at the Tokyo Dome in Bunkyo, Japan, on Tuesday, March 18, and Wednesday, March 19.

All anyone in the MLB world can discuss is the 2025 Tokyo Series, including a Cubs pitcher who grew up in Washington state idolizing Japanese superstar Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners.

Starting pitcher Matthew Boyd told Andy Martinez of the Marquee Sports Network that watching Suzuki and Japanese pitcher Kazuhiro Sasaki on the Mariners is a big reason he fell in love with baseball.

Also, the opportunity to play in Japan was a full-circle moment for him. The Japanese media presence following the careers of Suzuki and Sasaki in Seattle taught him a lot about Nippon Professional Baseball.

"It's just something that opened up your eyes to, like, man, baseball is truly a world sport, and there's talent everywhere," Boyd told Matinez.

Boyd continued by saying that an opportunity like this is rare, and he never thought he would get the chance to experience something like this in his MLB career.

"It's cool how baseball is truly a cultural thing where you can go experience the same game that you grew up playing in your backyard, imagining being the heroes that you watch growing up, and then you go to a whole different culture and play this game," Boyd added.

"You don't speak the same language, but there's a common bond in the game that's really special. And to get to do this is really cool."

According to Martinez, the Cubs plan to use Boyd in relief after starter Jameson Taillon in Sunday's exhibition matchup against NPB's Yomiuri Giants.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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