Manager Hiroki Kokubo's Samurai Japan squad went through its first practice on Sunday ahead of the upcoming series against a team of visiting major leaguers.
"I wanted to see how well the guys moved today, and everybody looked good," said Kokubo, who announced that 20-year-old Hanshin Tigers right-hander Shintaro Fujinami would start Monday's warm-up game at Yafuoku Dome against a squad selected from the rosters of the Pacific League's Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.
The five-game series against a team of major leaguers managed by Boston Red Sox skipper John Farrell will begin on Wednesday at Kyocera Dome and run until Nov. 18 with a final exhibition in Okinawa on Nov. 20. Major League Baseball's first postseason series here since 2006 is being used as part of Japan's buildup to the 2017 World Baseball Classic.