New York – The Atlanta Braves’ Marcell Ozuna made history on Friday, becoming the first player from the National League to win the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award. The 30-year-old Ozuna, traditionally an outfielder, started 21 games in the outfield and 39 games as the designated hitter, which was […]
Cubs’ Yu Darvish named to All-MLB first team
New York – Chicago Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish was named as one of the five starting pitchers on the All-MLB first team on Wednesday after missing out on the National League Cy Young Award last month. Darvish was dominant in the 60-game season, his eight wins tied for first in […]
Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo wins record third straight Shoriki Award
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks manager Kimiyasu Kudo, who led the Pacific League club to their fourth straight Japan Series championship last month, was named winner of the Matsutaro Shoriki Award on Tuesday. The prestigious award, which Kudo won for an unprecedented fifth time, is given annually to the manager or player […]
Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano made available to MLB teams
New York – All major league teams can begin making their pitches to Japanese right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano after he was posted by his Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Central League’s Yomiuri Giants, Major League Baseball said Monday. MLB.com said the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees and […]
‘Shogun’ Spencer Patton hits pandemic-era free agent market ready to play ball
All Spencer Patton wants is a ball and directions to the nearest mound. Don’t worry about the bullpen car, you can keep it in park. The bearded reliever, who Yokohama BayStars fans affectionately call “Shogun,” was never much for NPB’s in-game Uber service. His preferred mode of transportation from the […]
Ichiro Suzuki breaks new ground as high school coach
Wakayama – Seattle Mariners special assistant Ichiro Suzuki concluded his high school coaching debut on Friday after three days as a special instructor with schoolboy baseball powerhouse Chiben Wakayama in western Japan. The 47-year-old Ichiro brought his playing career to an end in March 2019 after amassing a combined 4,367 […]
Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano asks club to post him to majors
Highly sought-after Yomiuri Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano has asked the Central League club to make him available to major league teams via the posting system, a source with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The news comes a week after the Giants revealed they would allow the 31-year-old right-hander to […]
New GM Kim Ng bullish on Marlins’ future after ‘crash course’
MIami – For Kim Ng, the first three weeks as general manager of the Miami Marlins has meant less rest and more coffee. She has been getting to know colleagues at work, contacting agents and other teams, and learning as much as she can about the 150 or so players […]
Fighters make Haruki Nishikawa available to MLB clubs through posting system
The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters said Thursday that center fielder Haruki Nishikawa has been made available for major league clubs through the posting system. Once MLB has informed its 30 teams of Nishikawa’s availability, they will have 30 days to reach an agreement with him. The Fighters will then receive […]
MLB launches wood-bat league for draft-eligible prospects
New York – Major League Baseball is creating a minor league for top eligible prospects leading to the summer draft. The wood-bat MLB Draft League is launching with five teams and could add a sixth, MLB said Monday. Teams will play a 68-game regular season that includes an All-Star break […]