The skippers for Japan, Mexico and the Netherlands said they were taking a serious attitude into the upcoming three-team exhibition series at Tokyo Dome, since next spring's World Baseball Classic is right around the corner.
Japan manager Hiroki Kokubo was appreciative of the other two teams for having traveled all the way to Japan. He said Samurai Japan would look to get its players ready by taking advantage of the opportunity to play against the Dutch and Mexican teams.
"This is the final chance for us to get ready for the WBC," Kokubo said during a news conference alongside Edgar Gonzalez and Hensley Meulens, managers for Mexico and the Netherlands, respectively, at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday. "So these four games and four days are going to be very important.