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[Breaking News]Baseball: Japan's WBC training

MIYAZAKI, Japan, Feb. 16 Kyodo - Former New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui and San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish chat during the Japanese national baseball team's training camp in Miyazaki, southwestern Japan, on Feb. 14, 2026, ahead of the World Baseball Classic in March. (Kyodo)

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Baseball: Japan's WBC training

Former New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui (L) chats with San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (R) and Japanese national baseball team manager Hirokazu Ibata (C) during the Japanese national baseball team's training camp in Miyazaki, southwestern Japan on Feb. 14, 2026, ahead of the World Baseball Classic in March. Darvish joins the Samurai Japan team as an adviser.

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Baseball: Japan's WBC training

Hanshin Tigers slugger Teruaki Sato takes batting practice during the Japanese national baseball team's training camp in Miyazaki, southwestern Japan, on Feb. 14, 2026, ahead of the World Baseball Classic in March.

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Baseball: Japan's WBC training

Former New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui (C) and San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (L) chat during the Japanese national baseball team's training camp in Miyazaki, southwestern Japan, on Feb. 14, 2026, ahead of the World Baseball Classic in March.

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[Breaking News]Baseball: Japan slugger Murakami joins Chicago White Sox

CHICAGO, United States, Dec. 23 Kyodo - New Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami attends a press conference after signing his first Major League Baseball contract with the team at Rate Field on Dec. 22, 2025, in Chicago. (Kyodo)

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Baseball: Japan slugger Murakami joins Chicago White Sox

New Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami gives a thumbs-up on the field following a press conference where he was introduced after signing his first Major League Baseball contract with the team at Rate Field on Dec. 22, 2025, in Chicago.

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Baseball: Japan slugger Murakami joins Chicago White Sox

New Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami puts on his new team cap and jersey during a press conference where he was introduced after signing his first Major League Baseball contract with the team at Rate Field on Dec. 22, 2025, in Chicago.

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Baseball: Japan slugger Murakami joins Chicago White Sox

New Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami gives a thumbs-up on the field following a press conference where he was introduced after signing his first Major League Baseball contract with the team at Rate Field on Dec. 22, 2025, in Chicago.

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Baseball: Japan slugger Murakami joins Chicago White Sox

New Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami gives a thumbs-up on the field following a press conference where he was introduced after signing his first Major League Baseball contract with the team at Rate Field on Dec. 22, 2025, in Chicago.

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Baseball: Japan slugger Murakami joins Chicago White Sox

New Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami (L) shakes hands with General Manager Chris Getz on the field following a press conference where he was introduced after signing his first Major League Baseball contract with the team at Rate Field on Dec. 22, 2025, in Chicago.

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Baseball: Japan slugger Murakami joins Chicago White Sox

New Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami holds up a pair of white socks during a press conference where he was introduced at Rate Field in Chicago on Dec. 22, 2025.

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Baseball: Japan slugger Murakami joins Chicago White Sox

New Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami (R) holds his jersey with General Manager Chris Getz during a press conference where he was introduced at Rate Field in Chicago on Dec. 22, 2025.

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Baseball: Japan slugger Murakami joins Chicago White Sox

New Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami gives a thumbs-up during a press conference after signing his first Major League Baseball contract with the team at Rate Field on Dec. 22, 2025, in Chicago.

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Baseball: Japan slugger Murakami joins Chicago White Sox

New Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami attends a press conference after signing his first Major League Baseball contract with the team at Rate Field on Dec. 22, 2025, in Chicago.

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Baseball: Japan slugger Murakami joins Chicago White Sox

New Chicago White Sox player Munetaka Murakami attends a press conference after signing his first Major League Baseball contract with the team at Rate Field on Dec. 22, 2025, in Chicago.

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[Breaking News]Baseball: Ohtani wins MVP

TOKYO, Japan, Nov. 14 Kyodo - A woman grabs a copy of an extra edition of the Iwate Nippo daily newspaper near JR Shimbashi Station in Tokyo on Nov. 14, 2025, featuring Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani winning his third consecutive MVP Award and fourth of his Major League Baseball career. Ohtani is from the northeastern Japan prefecture of Iwate. (Kyodo)

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CORRECTED: Baseball: Ohtani wins MVP

A man grabs a copy of an extra edition of the Iwate Nippo daily newspaper near JR Shimbashi Station in Tokyo on Nov. 14, 2025, featuring Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani winning his third consecutive MVP Award and fourth of his Major League Baseball career. Ohtani is from the northeastern Japan prefecture of Iwate.

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Baseball: Ohtani wins MVP

A woman grabs a copy of an extra edition of the Iwate Nippo daily newspaper near JR Shimbashi Station in Tokyo on Nov. 14, 2025, featuring Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani winning his third consecutive MVP Award and fourth of his Major League Baseball career. Ohtani is from the northeastern Japan prefecture of Iwate.

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Japan Hall of Fame award ceremony for Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki (C), who had a total of 4,367 hits between Japan and the United States, poses for a photo with his plaque during an award ceremony for his 2025 enshrinement in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame at Vantelin Dome Nagoya in the central Japan city on Aug. 31, 2025. Standing beside the former Seattle Mariners outfielder is former New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui.

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Baseball: ex-big leaguer Matsui

Hideki Matsui, former slugger who played for the New York Yankees and Japan's Yomiuri Giants, poses for a photo at the Giants' minor league ballpark in Inagi, western Tokyo, on May 7, 2025, in front of worn tatami mats he used to practice swinging on at the club's dormitory as a young player.

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2025 Thurman Munson Awards

(From L) Former New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden and Paralympic swimmer Alexandra Truwit, both of the United States, and former New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui of Japan pose for photos at the presentation of the 2025 Thurman Munson Awards for their on-field excellence and the betterment of sports and the community in New York on March 13, 2025.

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Baseball: Ohtani wins NL MVP

People grab copies of an extra edition of the Iwate Nippon daily newspaper near JR Yurakucho Station in Tokyo on Nov. 22, 2024, after Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani won Major League Baseball's National League MVP award for 2024. Ohtani is from the northeastern Japan prefecture of Iwate.

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Baseball: Ohtani wins NL MVP

People grab copies of an extra edition of the Iwate Nippon daily newspaper near JR Yurakucho Station in Tokyo on Nov. 22, 2024, after Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani won Major League Baseball's National League MVP award for 2024. Ohtani is from the northeastern Japan prefecture of Iwate.

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Baseball: Ohtani wins NL MVP

People grab copies of an extra edition of the Iwate Nippon daily newspaper near JR Yurakucho Station in Tokyo on Nov. 22, 2024, after Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani won Major League Baseball's National League MVP award for 2024. Ohtani is from the northeastern Japan prefecture of Iwate.

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Baseball: Ohtani wins NL MVP

People grab copies of an extra edition of the Iwate Nippon daily newspaper near JR Yurakucho Station in Tokyo on Nov. 22, 2024, after Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani won Major League Baseball's National League MVP award for 2024. Ohtani is from the northeastern Japan prefecture of Iwate.

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Ohtani-themed Santa Claus in Kobe

Photo taken Nov. 20, 2024, shows a Christmas decoration featuring Santa Claus practicing the signature hit celebration of Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani (top, blue and white) alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (2nd from L), U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (3rd from L) and others sitting on top of the chimney of a building in the historical Kitano Ijinkan district of the western Japan city of Kobe. The Santa display on the former foreign residence is an annual event.

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Ohtani-themed Santa Claus in Kobe

Photo taken Nov. 20, 2024, shows a Christmas decoration featuring Santa Claus practicing the signature hit celebration of Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani (top, blue and white) alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (2nd from L), U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (3rd from L) and others sitting on top of the chimney of a building in the historical Kitano Ijinkan district of the western Japan city of Kobe. The Santa display on the former foreign residence is an annual event.

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Baseball: SoftBank Hawks slugger Hotaka Yamakawa

Hotaka Yamakawa of the SoftBank Hawks hits a solo home run in the third inning of a baseball game against the Seibu Lions at Mizuho PayPay Dome in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on May 17, 2024.

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Baseball: Ex-Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui

(From R) Former New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui, former Yankees star Roy White and Josh Rawitch, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, hold artifacts to be included in an exhibition about the transpacific exchange of baseball between the United States and Japan, following a press conference announcing the event at Yankee Stadium in New York on April 21, 2024.

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Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

FUKUOKA, Japan Kyodo - Three-time Pacific League home run leader Hotaka Yamakawa wears his new jersey after an introductory press conference by the SoftBank Hawks at PayPay Dome in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Dec. 19, 2023. He was suspended for much of the 2023 season by PL rivals the Seibu Lions after being accused of sexual assault. (Kyodo)

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Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

Three-time Pacific League home run leader Hotaka Yamakawa attends a press conference at PayPay Dome in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Dec. 19, 2023, as he joins the SoftBank Hawks. He was suspended for much of the 2023 season by PL rivals the Seibu Lions after being accused of sexual assault.

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Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

Three-time Pacific League home run leader Hotaka Yamakawa attends a press conference at PayPay Dome in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Dec. 19, 2023, as he joins the SoftBank Hawks. He was suspended for much of the 2023 season by PL rivals the Seibu Lions after being accused of sexual assault.

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Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

Three-time Pacific League home run leader Hotaka Yamakawa attends a press conference at PayPay Dome in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Dec. 19, 2023, as he joins the SoftBank Hawks. He was suspended for much of the 2023 season by PL rivals the Seibu Lions after being accused of sexual assault.

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Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

Three-time Pacific League home run leader Hotaka Yamakawa wears his new jersey after an introductory press conference by the SoftBank Hawks at PayPay Dome in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Dec. 19, 2023. He was suspended for much of the 2023 season by PL rivals the Seibu Lions after being accused of sexual assault.

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Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

Three-time Pacific League home run leader Hotaka Yamakawa poses for photos after a press conference at PayPay Dome in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Dec. 19, 2023, as he joins the SoftBank Hawks. He was suspended for much of the 2023 season by PL rivals the Seibu Lions after being accused of sexual assault.

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Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

Three-time Pacific League home run leader Hotaka Yamakawa bows during a press conference at PayPay Dome in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Dec. 19, 2023, as he joins the SoftBank Hawks. He was suspended for much of the 2023 season by PL rivals the Seibu Lions after being accused of sexual assault.

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Japan Baseball Hall of Famer Alex Ramirez

Former slugger Alex Ramirez (3rd from R) takes part in a sake barrel breaking ceremony during an event to celebrate his induction into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on Nov. 7, 2023.

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Baseball: High school slugger Rintaro Sasaki

Rintaro Sasaki, a baseball slugger who plays for MLB star Shohei Ohtani's alma mater Hanamaki Higashi High School, is pictured during a game in the southwestern Japan city of Kagoshima on Oct. 10, 2023. Sasaki revealed the same day his plan to forgo the upcoming Nippon Professional Baseball draft and pursue a college education in the United States.

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Baseball: High school slugger Rintaro Sasaki

Rintaro Sasaki, a baseball slugger who plays for MLB star Shohei Ohtani's alma mater Hanamaki Higashi High School, leaves the park after a game in the southwestern Japan city of Kagoshima on Oct. 10, 2023. Sasaki revealed the same day his plan to forgo the upcoming Nippon Professional Baseball draft and pursue a college education in the United States.

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Hanshin Tigers' legend Randy Bass

Former Hanshin Tigers' two-time Triple Crown slugger and Hall of Famer Randy Bass speaks during an interview with Kyodo News in the city of Osaka, western Japan, on March 30, 2023.

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Hanshin Tigers' legend Randy Bass

Former Hanshin Tigers' two-time Triple Crown slugger and Hall of Famer Randy Bass speaks during an interview with Kyodo News in the city of Osaka, western Japan, on March 30, 2023.

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Hanshin legend Bass first pitch

Ex-Hanshin Tigers' Triple Crown slugger, Hall of Famer Randy Bass throws a ceremonial first pitch for the season-opening game between the Hanshin Tigers and the DeNA BayStars at Kyocera Dome Osaka in western Japan on March 31, 2023.

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World Baseball Classic

Japan slugger Munetaka Murakami takes part in batting practice at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on March 14, 2023, ahead of the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals.

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Baseball: Japan's WBC practice

Yakult Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami returns to the dugout after striking out during the Japanese national baseball team's practice match against the Central League's Chunichi Dragons in Nagoya, central Japan, on March 2, 2023, in preparation for the World Baseball Classic.

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Baseball: Japan's WBC practice

Yakult Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami strikes out during the Japanese national baseball team's practice match against the Central League's Chunichi Dragons in Nagoya, central Japan, on March 2, 2023, in preparation for the World Baseball Classic.

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Baseball: Samurai Japan in Nagoya

Yakult Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami takes batting practice ahead of Japan's World Baseball Classic warm-up games at Vantelin Dome Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on March 1, 2023.

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Baseball: Samurai Japan in Nagoya

Yakult Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami (R) takes practice swings ahead of Japan's World Baseball Classic warm-up games at Vantelin Dome Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, on March 1, 2023.

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Baseball: Japan's WBC training

Yakult Swallows slugger Munetaka Murakami takes batting practice during the Japanese national baseball team's training camp in the southwestern Japan city of Miyazaki on Feb. 21, 2023, in preparation for the World Baseball Classic.

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Baseball: WBC training camp in Japan

Seibu Lions slugger Hotaka Yamakawa smiles during the first day of the Japanese national team's World Baseball Classic training camp on Feb. 17, 2023, in Miyazaki, southwestern Japan.

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Baseball: WBC training camp in Japan

Seibu Lions slugger Hotaka Yamakawa takes batting practice during the first day of the Japanese national team's World Baseball Classic training camp on Feb. 17, 2023, in Miyazaki, southwestern Japan.