Pep Guardiola hailed Manchester City’s second-half surge as the defending champion knocked Arsenal off the top of the Premier League with a crucial 3-1 win on Wednesday. Guardiola’s side showed it is not ready to surrender the title with a ruthless display of finishing that lifted it above Arsenal on […]
Ex-Hawks outfielder ready for WBC stint with China
Hitachi, Ibaraki Pref. – A talented Japan-based outfielder who will play for China in the upcoming World Baseball Classic does not speak Chinese or know what the Chinese team is like, but hopes to impress teammates with his bat and glove. Yusuke Masago, now with the Hitachi corporate club after […]
Eagles name Masahiro Tanaka as opening day starter
Kin, Okinawa – Former New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka will be the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles’ opening day starter for the 2023 season, the Japanese club’s manager Kazuhisa Ishii revealed Monday. In his first opening day start for Rakuten since 2012, Tanaka will face the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters […]
Veteran Yu Darvish surprised and honored by six-year extension
SAN DIEGO – Yu Darvish expressed joy and surprise Friday after signing a six-year extension with the San Diego Padres that runs through the 2028 season, when he turns 42. The 36-year-old right-hander’s new deal is worth a reported $108 million, according to MLB.com, and the Osaka native said it […]
Teams announce rosters for 2023 World Baseball Classic
Miami – Shohei Ohtani, U.S. captain Mike Trout and three Cuban-born MLB standouts were among the players chosen to compete for their homelands at next month’s World Baseball Classic on Thursday. The fifth edition of the global showdown is scheduled to run from March 8 to 21 with 20 teams […]
Rosters for 2023 World Baseball Classic finalized
Miami – Shohei Ohtani, U.S. captain Mike Trout and three Cuban-born MLB standouts were among the players chosen to compete for their homelands at next month’s World Baseball Classic on Thursday. The fifth edition of the global showdown is scheduled to run from March 8 to 21 with 20 teams […]
Yu Darvish agrees to six-year contract extension with Padres
Star pitcher Yu Darvish has agreed to a six-year contract extension worth $108 million with the San Diego Padres, according to multiple reports on Thursday. The 36-year-old right-hander’s deal runs through the 2028 campaign — when Darvish will turn 42 — according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, ESPN and the […]
Lars Nootbaar’s mother hopes son can help bring WBC title back to Japan
Kumiko Nootbaar, the mother of St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars, is hoping her son can help propel Japan to its third World Baseball Classic championship next month — and send manager Hideki Kuriyama flying. Lars Nootbaar is the first player named to represent Japan in the WBC solely through his […]
Former Hawks outfielder Yusuke Masago to represent China in WBC
Outfielder Yusuke Masago, who played in 180 games for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, will represent China in March’s World Baseball Classic, his current corporate team, Hitachi, announced Wednesday. The 28-year-old Masago, a native of Kyoto Prefecture and whose father is from China, began his professional career with SoftBank in 2013 […]
Yoshitomo Tsutsugo to continue MLB journey in Texas
As he vies for an MLB roster spot with the Texas Rangers, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo will also be thinking of his former Samurai Japan teammates battling to regain World Baseball Classic supremacy, the 31-year-old infielder said Monday. Tsutsugo is set to attend the Rangers’ spring training later this month in Arizona, […]