Dodgers name most obvious starting pitchers for Tokyo Series vs Cubs

When reporters asked Cubs manager Craig Counsell if fans should expect to see Shota Imanaga start a game in the upcoming Tokyo Series between them and the Dodgers, Counsell laughed.

"I don't think I have a choice, actually," he said.

That level of candor is refreshing, and Counsell's right — he definitely doesn't have a choice. MLB is probably so disappointed that Shohei Ohtani isn't going to be ready to pitch for the Tokyo Series, even if fans will still get to see him hit. If he was ready, then MLB might've had to toy with the idea of extending the series to three games just so fans could see all of Imanaga, Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki on the mound for a start.

It came as no surprise on Feb. 12 when Dave Roberts told reporters what fans had already come to suspect: Yamamoto will get the ball for the Tokyo opener. He stopped short of confirming that Sasaki would take the second game, but it would come as no surprise if/when he's announced as well.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto expected to start Tokyo Series opener for Dodgers, with Roki Sasaki likely to follow

Sasaki as the second game's starter is the only thing that makes sense, but maybe the Dodgers want to see how he looks during his first few spring training innings before making the official call. At the very least, the Dodgers would probably put him in for a relief inning or two in Tokyo (because, as Counsell said, they probably won't have much of a choice).

The Tokyo Series is going to be a slam dunk for MLB, and resale tickets are going for up to around $21,000 on StubHub as of this writing. The market for baseball in Japan might even eclipse the U.S.'s, and MLB will want to capitalize on that any way they can.

The Dodgers still have a month of spring training ahead of them, though, and Sasaki has officially suited up in a spring uniform in Glendale. It'd be shocking if the Dodgers don't give him a homecoming start in Tokyo, but it could depend on how he looks over the next few weeks.