Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo has made sure Pacific League rival Chiba Lotte will be well represented in next week's All-Star Series by naming seven Marines players to the 28-man PL all-star squad.
The final roster picks by PL skipper Kudo and Central League manager Mitsuru Manaka of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows were announced Monday, with the Marines earning the bulk of the additions to the games to be held in Fukuoka on July 15 and Yokohama on July 16. After earning no spots on the roster in the fan and player ballots, Kudo saw to it that the Marines have more players on the squad than any other PL team.
In the CL, Manaka added four from the league-leading Hiroshima Carp to see them pull even with the Marines with seven players representing their league. Manaka also added four players from the Yokohama BayStars including rookie catcher Yasutaka Tobashira, who has received high marks for his pitch calling for a team that is leading the league in ERA.