The final time that Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga have been on the Tokyo Dome area, they have been within the midst of the World Baseball Basic and have been carrying their Samurai Japan uniforms. Now, the three will return — together with outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who missed the Basic because of damage — to begin the Main League season subsequent March.
The opener — going down earlier than the remainder of the MLB golf equipment start their regular-season campaigns on March 27 — is the sixth time that MLB has began the season in Japan. Beforehand, we noticed the Cubs and Mets play there in 2000; Yankees vs. Rays in 2004; Purple Sox vs. A’s in 2008; Mariners vs. A’s in 2012, and — for Ichiro’s ultimate two huge league video games — a rematch between Seattle and Oakland in 2019.
This would be the first time, nonetheless, that 4 Japanese gamers can be featured on the MLB rosters. Oddly sufficient, this would be the first time that any of them will name the Tokyo Dome their residence stadium: Whereas within the NPB, Ohtani performed for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Hokkaidō, Yamamoto suited up for the Orix Buffaloes in Osaka, Imanaga performed for the Yokohama BayStars in Kanagawa and Suzuki was a member of the Hiroshima Carp.
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