TOKYO, JAPAN – MARCH 16: Shota Imanaga #18 of the Chicago Cubs looks on from the dugout prior to the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome on Sunday, March 16, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Yuki Taguchi/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
While the Chicago Cubs got their season underway over a week ago against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Japan, the rest of Major League Baseball got the 2025 season started Thursday on traditional Opening Day.
Though the Cubs are indeed back in action, taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix in a four-game weekend set, fans in Chicago will have to wait a bit longer to see their team play at the Friendly Confines.
The Cubs will open their home schedule against the San Diego Padres on Friday, April 4 at Wrigley Field.
Keeping with a North Side custom that has lasted generations, first pitch for the Friday afternoon tilt will take place at 1:20 p.m.
The homestand comes after the four-game set in Arizona along with a three-game series early next week against the Athletics, who are playing their first of at least three seasons at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California, prior to a planned move to Las Vegas.
After hosting the Padres, the Cubs will welcome the world champions of 2023 to Wrigley Field, hosting the Texas Rangers in a three-game weekday series for the two teams' only matchups of the year.
In 2024, the Cubs opened the season against the Rangers at Globe Life Park, losing two of three games to start the season.
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