Seiya Suzuki was too young and not yet into baseball when the Chicago Cubs last played at the Tokyo Dome 25 years ago. But the memory of being in the ballpark in 2004 and watching Japanese great Hideki Matsui slug a home run for the New York Yankees still resonates with the 30-year-old Suzuki.

All eyes were on Suzuki and Shota Imanaga during Friday’s workout at the Tokyo Dome in front of an estimated 10,000 fans.

Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki describe bonding with their Cubs teammates and inspiring young Japanese baseball players at the 2025 Tokyo Series