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Kensuke Kondo can get lost in the shuffle sometimes. As the No. 2 batter for Samurai Japan at the World Baseball Classic, Kondo is hitting behind leadoff man Lars Nootbaar, an MLB player who has quickly become one of the most popular players on the team. Shohei Ohtani bats behind […]

Masataka Yoshida made the unprecedented move by a Japanese player to leave his first MLB spring training to compete in the World Baseball Classic. It looks like a good move so far. Yoshida, who has been playing at a high level since leaving spring training with the Boston Red Sox […]

The job is not done for Australia at the World Baseball Classic. Team Australia is looking to at least reach the quarterfinals at the WBC this year and took a big step toward that goal by holding on for an 8-7 win in a back-and-forth game against South Korea on […]

Walking through the bustling Tokyo Dome concourse on Thursday night was like being dropped into a living, breathing exhibition dedicated to Shohei Ohtani. There were 41,616 fans in attendance at Tokyo Dome for Japan’s first game of the World Baseball Classic against China, and as many of them snaked through […]

Jean Faut, who pitched two perfect games in a remarkable career with the South Bend (Indiana) Blue Sox of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, died on Feb. 28 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She was 98. Her death, in a hospice, was confirmed by her son Kevin Winsch. Faut […]

Shohei Ohtani put on a show for thousands of adoring fans during Samurai Japan’s opening game at the World Baseball Classic. Ohtani started on the mound, was in the lineup as the DH and delivered in both roles to help Japan to an 8-1 win against China in front of […]

The team captain and infielder/designated hitter is a financial trader. The center fielder is a high school geography teacher. One of the catchers helps his father run a business that imports baseball equipment and one of the pitchers is a firefighter. The manager? He’s a neurologist. Most members of the […]

A private message on Instagram led to a life-changing experience for Samurai Japan outfielder Lars Nootbaar. “Just like a lot of relationships now,” Nootbaar joked about his path to Samurai Japan, which began with a direct message on Instagram that eventually led to an invitation to join the team for […]

Lars Nootbaar, a member of Japan’s World Baseball Classic team, attends a press conference at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday, a day before the team’s Pool B opener against China. | KYODO A private message on Instagram led to a life-changing experience for Samurai Japan outfielder Lars Nootbaar. “Just like a […]

Cricket is Australia’s national game but the country’s baseball team struck a blow for their sport with an shock 8-7 win over South Korea at the World Baseball Classic on Thursday. Tim Kennelly, Robbie Glendinning and Robbie Perkins all blasted home runs in Tokyo to lift Australia past the heavily […]