Going with a traditional look, Pacific League newcomers the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles revealed their new uniforms on Wednesday.
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles' No. 1 pick Yasuhiro Ichiba (left) poses in the team's new road uniform while fellow-rookie hurler Koki Watanabe wears the home version at a Sendai hotel on Wednesday during a news conference to present the club's official uniforms.
The home uniforms are white with crimson and gold trim while the road uniforms feature a crimson jersey with white pants.
"It's a classic look," said the team's general manager Marty Kuehnert. "We wanted something that was simple and would last a long time. The New York Yankees haven't changed their uniforms over the years and we wanted a look that we would be happy with for many years to come."
The Eagles, who will play out of Miyagi Stadium in the northeastern city of Sendai, were formed after the merger of the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Orix BlueWave following the 2004 season.
Yoshioka an Eagle
SENDAI, Miyagi Pref. (Kyodo) Former Kintetsu Buffaloes infielder Yuji Yoshioka signed a 75 million yen contract with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Wednesday and will receive 17 million yen less than last year for the 2005 season.
Also, former Yakult Swallows pitcher Kevin Hodges agreed to a provisional deal carrying an annual salary of 50 million yen on top of a 10 million yen signing bonus.