Baseball

CHIBA – Seiya Suzuki changed his bat for the Super Round of the Premier12, but he didn’t really have a good reason for doing so. “There’s really no reason,” he said on Monday night, after helping Japan to its fourth straight victory, 3-2 over Australia, of the tournament. “It’s just […]

CHIBA – For the second time in four games during the Premier12, Samurai Japan had its feet held to the fire. So far, manager Atsunori Inaba’s team has been able outrun the flames. Seiya Suzuki homered in the fourth, Ukyo Shuto put a charge into the crowd by stealing his […]

The Hiroshima Carp’s Ryosuke Kikuchi, quite possibly the most dynamic defensive second baseman in the world (at least in the conversation), could be playing in MLB next season. So too could the Yokohama BayStars’ slugging captain Yoshitomo Tsutsugo and free agent outfielder Shogo Akiyama, one of the stars from the […]

With Olympic berths hanging in the balance, the final six teams in the WBSC Premier12 are preparing to return to field for the tournament’s Super Round, which begins in Japan on Monday. Japan, the world’s top-ranked team, enters the second round with a perfect record but isn’t taking anything for […]

Daisuke Matsuzaka, who left the Seibu Lions to pitch in the majors 13 years ago, is in line to rejoin the Pacific League club, a source said on Saturday. The 39-year-old Matsuzaka, who was named the NPB Comeback Player of the Year in 2018, pitched in just two games this […]

SEOUL – Australia earned the final spot in the Premier12’s super round by finishing second in Group C on Friday. Australia advanced on the tiebreaker rules after finishing with a 1-2 record, the same as Canada and Cuba. On Friday the Australians beat Canada 3-1, while South Korea improved to […]

HIROSHIMA – Seven-time Golden Glove Award winner Ryosuke Kikuchi will have a chance to move to the major leagues via the posting system, the Hiroshima Carp said Friday. The 29-year-old second baseman has won the CL’s fielding award for excellence every season since he became a regular in 2013. After […]

TAICHUNG, TAIWAN – Samurai Japan will head home to the Premier 12 super round having completed a sweep of Group B with an 8-1 win over group host Taiwan on Thursday. Both teams were playing for pride having already clinched a spot in the six-team round robin next week in […]

TAOYUAN, TAIWAN – Seiya Suzuki belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the third, while starter Rei Takahashi threw six innings of one-hit ball, as Japan overpowered Puerto Rico 4-0 in the WBSC Premier12 opening round on Wednesday. Samurai Japan made it two wins in a row at the […]

TAOYUAN, TAIWAN – Ryosuke Kikuchi led Japan to an 8-4 comeback win over Venezuela in their WBSC Premier12 opener on Tuesday, driving in a pair of runs and scoring another in a 3-for-4 outing. The 2020 Olympic Games hosts entered the eighth inning at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium trailing 4-2 […]