Baseball Nov 20, 2014
Japan grabs exhibition victory over MLB All-Stars in tour finale
Samurai Japan halts a two-game losing streak on Thursday, beating a team of major leaguers 6-4 in an exhibition that wrapped up MLB's tour of Japan.
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Nov 19, 2014
After Samurai Japan beat an MLB team 3-2 in the Japan-MLB All-Star Series, Thursday's exhibition in Okinawa gives the big leaguers a chance to ostensibly go home with a .500 record against the host nation. Japan clinched the series by winning the first three games, ...
Baseball / Japanese Baseball Nov 19, 2014
Otani impresses visiting MLB stars
by Kaz Nagatsuka
Shohei Otani exhibited some of the immaturity of a 20-year-old pitcher but also some of the potential that could eventually see him playing on American soil. Looking on the bright side, Otani, who started for Samurai Japan in its 3-1 defeat in Game 5 of ...
Baseball Nov 18, 2014
Right-hander Shohei Otani showed flashes of brilliance on Tuesday, but it wasn't enough to pave the way to victory as Samurai Japan lost 3-1 in the concluding game of the Japan-MLB All-Star Series. Although outhit badly in the finale, Japan won the five-game series 3-2. ...
Baseball Nov 18, 2014
Samurai Japan pitching coach Katori embraces serious demeanor in preparation for 2017 WBC
by Kaz Nagatsuka
The MLB-Japan All-Star Series is sort of a deceiving event, because it's uncertain what kind of physical condition the players are in and how close they are to their top level. And some may wonder why the Japan team is pushing so hard like it ...
Baseball Nov 16, 2014
MLB offense rebounds in Game 4, triumphs over Japan
by Jason Coskrey
The MLB All-Stars can't win their series against Samurai Japan but that doesn't mean they can't go down swinging. Justin Morneau homered and drove in four runs in support of starter Chris Capuano, and the MLB team notched its first victory in the MLB-Japan All-Star ...
Baseball Nov 16, 2014
Rays outfielder Zobrist gets crash course in Japanese baseball culture
by Kaz Nagatsuka
They play the game with the same rules on the same diamond. But how they develop their game based on practice looks to be a little different between Japan and the United States. Before Saturday's Game 3 of the MLB-Japan All-Star Series, Tampa Bay Rays ...
Baseball Nov 16, 2014
Cano sustains fractured toe, done for series
by Jason Coskrey
The MLB-Japan All-Star Series show will go on, but it'll be without its leading man. Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano was lifted from Game 3 on Saturday after being struck in the foot by a pitch from Yuki Nishi and was diagnosed with a ...
Baseball Nov 16, 2014
Infielders Kikuchi, Escobar showcase defensive skills in MLB-Japan All-Star Series
by Jason Coskrey
One thing an event like the MLB-Japan All-Star Series does is allow fans to ask the question, what if? What if this NPBer or that NPBer was in the major leagues and vice versa. Or better yet, what if Hiroshima Carp second baseman Ryosuke Kikuchi ...
Baseball Nov 15, 2014
Norimoto, three relievers toss combined no-hitter against MLB All-Stars
by Jason Coskrey
Takahiro Norimoto didn't have any problems during his matchup against a lineup of major league hitters. Yuki Nishi didn't have many either, nor did Kazuhisa Makita or even Yuji Nishino. No problems for the Japanese pitchers equaled no hits for the major league batters. Norimoto retired ...
Baseball / MLB Nov 15, 2014
Hall of Famer Winfield impressed by Otani's versatility
by Jason Coskrey
When Dave Winfield was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1973, it was as a pitcher. When he entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, it was because of his career as a batter and outfielder. He briefly played both positions in ...
Baseball Nov 14, 2014
Yanagita carries Samurai Japan to Game 2 win over MLB All-Stars
by Jason Coskrey
In a game featuring six-time MLB All-Star Robinson Cano, three-time All-Star Evan Longoria and 2006 AL MVP and four-time All-Star Justin Morneau, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks' Yuki Yanagita shone brighter than all of them. Yanagita drove in four runs and was a home run away ...