In Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers held their final day of practice on Monday ahead of the season-opening Tokyo Series.



The series will be played at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday and Wednesday between the Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs.



The Dodgers held voluntary practice at the venue. The Cubs are home and the Dodgers are visitors in the opening series.



Pitchers Yamamoto Yoshinobu and Sasaki Roki are set to start for the Dodgers.



Yamamoto appeared in a grey visitors' uniform.
He threw a large, soft ball against a wall, played catch, then removed the cover from the mound and practiced shadow-pitching.



He appeared to be checking the difference between the mound in Tokyo and those used in Major League stadiums.



Sasaki is scheduled to start in the second game. He played catch on the field and practiced pitching in the indoor bullpen. This is Sasaki's first year in the Majors.



Superstar Ohtani Shohei is aiming to make a comeback this season as a two-way player. He will take part in the Tokyo Series as a batter. Ohtani did not participate in Monday's practice session.



MLB has quoted the Dodgers' team manager as saying that shortstop Mookie Betts will not play in the Tokyo Series as he is still recovering from an illness.



Betts, along with fellow sluggers Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, are known as the MVP trio.



The opening series will be the first official MLB games to be played in Japan in six years.