The last time Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga were on the field at Tokyo Dome, they were in the middle of the World Baseball Classic and wearing their Samurai Japan uniforms. Now, all three players will be back — along with outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who missed the Classic due to injury — to start the major league season next March.
The opener, which will take place before the rest of MLB’s regular season begins on March 27, will mark the sixth time MLB has opened its season in Japan. Previously, we’ve seen the Cubs and Mets play there in 2000; the Yankees vs. the Rays in 2004; the Red Sox vs. the A’s in 2008; the Mariners vs. the A’s in 2012, and — for Ichiro’s final two major league games — a rematch between Seattle and Oakland in 2019.
This will be the first time that four Japanese players will be on MLB rosters. Interestingly, it will be the first time that any of them will call the Tokyo Dome home: in the NPB, Ohtani played for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Hokkaido, Yamamoto played for the Orix Buffaloes in Osaka, Imanaga played for the Yokohama BayStars in Kanagawa and Suzuki was a member of the Hiroshima Carp.
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News Source : www.mlb.com
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