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Koichi Tabuchi touched Senichi Hoshino’s Hall of Fame plaque and jokingly wondered why his friend was wearing a Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles hat. “He played for Chunichi, didn’t he?” Tabuchi asked. He gave a broad smile and nodded in approval when told it was because Hoshino had won the Japan […]

HOUSTON – The Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal cost manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs, and Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora could be next. Hinch and Luhnow were fired Monday after being suspended by Major League Baseball for the team’s illicit use of electronics to steal […]

Samurai Japan manager Atsunori Inaba, during a lecture in Hokkaido last month, noted there was no parade after the national team’s win in the Premier12 in November. The Premier12, after all, was a tournament featuring the top 12 teams in the world, though without their MLB talent. Not only did […]

WASHINGTON – With a “2019 World Series Champions” patch stitched onto the right sleeve of his white Washington Nationals jersey, and his eyes — one brown, one blue — open wide, Max Scherzer made it clear as clear can be Saturday that his neck is just fine and his preseason […]

NEW YORK – Right-hander Noah Syndergaard on Friday agreed to a $9.7 million, one-year deal with the New York Mets to avoid salary arbitration. Syndergaard is coming off a fairly disappointing season in which he made $6 million. He went 10-8 with a 4.28 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 197⅔ […]

CINCINNATI – Shogo Akiyama knew the Cincinnati Reds were the only MLB team that never had a player born in Japan. The chance to break a barrier was part of his impetus to sign. The former Seibu Lions star got a $21 million, three-year deal this week with the Reds. […]

MILWAKEE – Milwaukee general manager David Stearns didn’t have to do much thinking when it came to a new long-term deal for Brewers manager Craig Counsell. “Both Craig and I thought this was probably an inevitability at some point,” Stearns said Wednesday after announcing a three-year extension for Counsell through […]

BOSTON – Major League Baseball says it will investigate allegations the Boston Red Sox illegally used their video replay room to steal signs between opposing pitchers and catchers during their 2018 World Series championship season. The claims were made Tuesday in a report by The Athletic. The website cited three […]

CINCINNATI – Outfielder Shogo Akiyama on Monday agreed to a $21 million, three-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds, the only major league team that hasn’t had a player born in Japan. Akiyama, 31, became a free agent after his ninth season with the Seibu Lions, where he was a five-time […]

With the NPB season set to begin on March 21, it won’t be long before players are back in uniform and training with their teams in preparation for 2020. In addition to getting ready for the new campaign, a handful of NPB stars will also be preparing to put the […]