Cubs relief pitcher Caleb Thielbar throws to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth inning in Tokyo Wednesday. AP
The Cubs saw their trip to Japan as a chance to experience a different culture and bond as a team through the unique experience.
Turns out, they just got chomped into bits by Godzilla, while the Japanese fans cheered loudly.
Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga may be cool and all, but Shohei Ohtani is the dominant star. He and the Los Angeles Dodgers own Japan, and together they're building a new NL dynasty.
Ohtani hit one of three home runs as the Dodgers rolled to a 6-3 victory on Wednesday at the Tokyo Dome, sending the Cubs back across the Pacific with an 0-2 record.
Anyone who destroyed their sleep schedule to watch these two losses at 5 a.m. should get at least one free mini-helmet soft serve at Wrigley Field this season.
"The games didn't go the way we wanted to, but we had the experience of a lifetime," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after the game.
The Cubs are returning to Arizona, will play five more exhibition games, then stay in Phoenix to resume the season on March 27 with four games against the Diamondbacks.
"Really fun atmosphere, lot of fun being here in Tokyo and a great experience," second baseman Jon Berti told reporters after the game. "But we came here to win and unfortunately we weren't able to do so."
There was mild controversy over Ohtani's home run, since it bounced off a fan's hand in right field and landed in the field of play. Video review confirmed the home run and it didn't seem worth getting worked up about.
But it wasn't just Ohtani. The Cubs got to experience the MLB debut of the Dodgers' latest Japanese star, pitcher Roki Sasaki. The right-hander struggled with command, giving up 5 walks in the 3 innings he worked. But his arm was certainly impressive, averaging 98 miles per hour with the four-seam fastball.
The bottom of the third inning was an important failure for the Cubs. Berti reached on an infield single with one out, then Sasaki walked three in a row to force in a run, trimming the Dodgers' lead to 3-1. With still just one out, Sasaki rallied to strike out both Michael Busch and Matt Shaw to end the inning.
"We put pretty good pressure on them," Counsell said. "We hit 6 singles, they hit 6 extra-base hits. That's kind of the difference tonight. We had traffic, but we're missing that damage hit that puts runs on the board."
Cubs starter Justin Steele was tagged with 5 earned runs in 4 innings. He gave up home runs to Tommy Edman and Kike Hernandez, then a double by Max Muncy, combined with a walk, passed ball and sacrifice fly, put the Dodgers ahead 2-0 in the second.
"Home runs kind of hurt me tonight," Steele said. "Overall, felt pretty good. Felt really good to pitch here in Tokyo, it's something I'll never forget."
There were flashes of life from the offense. Kyle Tucker drove in the Cubs first run with a bases-loaded walk, then hit an opposite-field double off the wall with two outs in the ninth. Since the start of spring training, Tucker is now 2-for-39 at the plate in a Cubs uniform.
Tucker's double, followed by a walk to pinch-hitter Justin Turner brought the tying run to the plate, but Shaw ended the game with a ground out to short.
Ian Happ had an RBI single in the fourth inning. Shaw recorded his first major league hit, a one-hopper off the pitcher's glove, then scored on a double from Dansby Swanson. Berti collected 3 hits. But with all the walks, the Cubs left 11 runners on base.