Major League Baseball has a black eye of sorts, and Ryan Howard is going to make it all better.
The Philadelphia Phillies first baseman, leading the majors with 53 home runs, was one of eight players confirmed to play in the MLB-NPB All-Star Series, a six-game event that was announced Tuesday at a Tokyo hotel.
"These guys did not like the fact that Japan won the first World Baseball Classic," MLB Japan Managing Director Jim Small said. "So they wanted to come to Japan and compete. Well, not just compete, but come here and win."