Baseball: Neftali Soto

Baseball: Neftali Soto

Neftali Soto of the Lotte Marines hits a two-run home run in the third inning of a baseball game against the Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Sept. 13, 2024.

Baseball: Japan's WBC training

Baseball: Japan's WBC training

Seibu Lions left-hander Chihiro Sumida plays catch during the Japan national baseball team's training camp in Miyazaki, southwestern Japan, on Feb. 14, 2026, ahead of the World Baseball Classic in March.

Baseball: Swallows vs. Lions

Baseball: Swallows vs. Lions

Tyler Nevin of the Seibu Lions hits an RBI single in the first inning of an interleague baseball game against the Yakult Swallows at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa in Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, on June 4, 2025.

Baseball: Orix vs. Lions

Baseball: Orix vs. Lions

Steven Moya of the Orix Buffaloes hits a two-run home run in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seibu Lions at MetLife Dome in Tokorozawa in Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Oct. 17, 2020.

Baseball: Fighters vs. Lions

Baseball: Fighters vs. Lions

Seibu Lions right-hander Kona Takahashi pitches in a Pacific League baseball game against the Nippon Ham Fighters at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, eastern Japan, on July 17, 2025.

Baseball: Lions vs. Eagles

Baseball: Lions vs. Eagles

Manaya Nishikawa of the Seibu Lions hits a solo home run during the sixth inning of a Pacific League baseball game against the Rakuten Eagles at Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi in Sendai, northeastern Japan, on July 27, 2025.

Baseball: Marines vs. Lions

Baseball: Marines vs. Lions

Wu Nien-ting of the Seibu Lions hits a solo home run in the fourth inning of a Pacific League baseball game against the Lotte Marines at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa in Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Sept. 6, 2022. Marines pitcher Ayumu Ishikawa surrendered three straight home runs to Tomoya Mori, Hotaka Yamakawa and Wu during the inning.

Baseball: GM meetings in Las Vegas

Baseball: GM meetings in Las Vegas

Baseball agent Scott Boras meets the press as Major League Baseball's general manager meetings get under way in Las Vegas on Nov. 12, 2025. Boras said his client Tatsuya Imai, pitcher of Japan's Seibu Lions, will be posted for MLB teams on Nov. 19.

Baseball: GM meetings in Las Vegas

Baseball: GM meetings in Las Vegas

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller speaks to the press as Major League Baseball's general manager meetings get under way in Las Vegas on Nov. 11, 2025. Preller expressed interest in acquiring pitcher Tatsuya Imai of the Seibu Lions following the Japanese Pacific League team's announcement that it has begun the process of posting the 27-year-old right-hander to MLB.

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

SoftBank Hawks players celebrate after the baseball team won the Pacific League pennant for the second consecutive season with a 4-1 victory over the Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Sept. 27, 2025.

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

SoftBank Hawks players celebrate after the baseball team won the Pacific League pennant for the second consecutive season with a 4-1 victory over the Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Sept. 27, 2025.

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

SoftBank Hawks players celebrate after the baseball team won the Pacific League pennant for the second consecutive season with a 4-1 victory over the Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Sept. 27, 2025.

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

SoftBank Hawks players celebrate after the baseball team won the Pacific League pennant for the second consecutive season with a 4-1 victory over the Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Sept. 27, 2025.

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

SoftBank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo is tossed in the air by his players after the baseball team won the Pacific League pennant for the second consecutive season with a 4-1 victory over the Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Sept. 27, 2025.

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

SoftBank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo is tossed in the air by his players after the baseball team won the Pacific League pennant for the second consecutive season with a 4-1 victory over the Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Sept. 27, 2025.

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

SoftBank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo is tossed in the air by his players after the baseball team won the Pacific League pennant for the second consecutive season with a 4-1 victory over the Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Sept. 27, 2025.

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

SoftBank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo is tossed in the air by his players after the baseball team won the Pacific League pennant for the second consecutive season with a 4-1 victory over the Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Sept. 27, 2025.

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

Baseball: Hawks clinch Pacific League title

SoftBank Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo is tossed in the air by his players after the baseball team won the Pacific League pennant for the second consecutive season with a 4-1 victory over the Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Sept. 27, 2025.

Baseball: Seibu Lions' Hirasawa

Baseball: Seibu Lions' Hirasawa

Taiga Hirasawa poses for photos at an introductory press conference in Tokorozawa in the eastern Japan prefecture of Saitama on Dec. 12, 2024, after joining the Seibu Lions from the Lotte Marines.

Baseball: Lotte pitcher Sasaki

Baseball: Lotte pitcher Sasaki

Roki Sasaki of the Lotte Marines pitches on Aug. 1, 2024, for the first time since June 8, in a Pacific League game against the Seibu Lions at Zozo Marine Stadium in Chiba, east of Tokyo. The 22-year-old hard-throwing right-hander was removed from Lotte's active roster on June 13 due to problems with his throwing arm.

Baseball: SoftBank Hawks slugger Hotaka Yamakawa

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.

Baseball: Hawks vs. Lions

Baseball: Hawks vs. Lions

Kensuke Kondo of the Softbank Hawks hits a two-run single in the fifth inning of a Pacific League baseball game against the Seibu Lions on April 13, 2024, at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo.

Baseball: Daisuke Matsuzaka

Baseball: Daisuke Matsuzaka

Seibu Lions pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka touches the mound after throwing against the Nippon Ham Fighters at MetLife Dome in Tokorozawa, near Tokyo, on Oct. 19, 2021, as the former Boston Red Sox right-hander ended his 23-year baseball career.

Baseball: Daisuke Matsuzaka

Baseball: Daisuke Matsuzaka

Seibu Lions pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka faces off Orix BlueWave's Ichiro Suzuki in 1999.

Baseball: Daisuke Matsuzaka

Baseball: Daisuke Matsuzaka

Seibu Lions pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka smiles at a hotel in Nango in Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Oct. 30, 1999, after being notified that he has received the Pacific League's rookie of the year award.

Baseball: Orix Buffaloes pitcher Shumpeita Yamashita

Baseball: Orix Buffaloes pitcher Shumpeita Yamashita

Shumpeita Yamashita of the Orix Buffaloes pitches in a baseball game against the Seibu Lions at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, on March 31, 2023.

Baseball in Japan

Baseball in Japan

TOKOROZAWA, Japan, Kyodo - Wu Nien-ting (39) of the Seibu Lions is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run in the second inning of a Pacific League baseball game against the Rakuten Eagles at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, eastern Japan, on April 24, 2022.

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)

Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

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.

Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

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.

Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

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.

Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

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.

Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

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.

Baseball: Hawks acquire suspended slugger Yamakawa

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.

Seibu Lions infielder Yamakawa

Seibu Lions infielder Yamakawa

Seibu Lions infielder Hotaka Yamakawa meets the press in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Oct. 5, 2023. In August, Tokyo prosecutors decided not to indict the three-time Pacific League home run leader and member of Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classic-winning team over an allegation of rape due to insufficient evidence.

Seibu Lions infielder Yamakawa

Seibu Lions infielder Yamakawa

Seibu Lions infielder Hotaka Yamakawa meets the press in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Oct. 5, 2023. In August, Tokyo prosecutors decided not to indict the three-time Pacific League home run leader and member of Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classic-winning team over an allegation of rape due to insufficient evidence.

Seibu Lions infielder Yamakawa

Seibu Lions infielder Yamakawa

Seibu Lions infielder Hotaka Yamakawa meets the press in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Oct. 5, 2023. In August, Tokyo prosecutors decided not to indict the three-time Pacific League home run leader and member of Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classic-winning team over an allegation of rape due to insufficient evidence.

Baseball: Seibu Lions player Hotaka Yamakawa

Baseball: Seibu Lions player Hotaka Yamakawa

Undated photo shows Seibu Lions player Hotaka Yamakawa. Seibu said on Sept. 4, 2023, Yamakawa has been suspended indefinitely from Nippon Professional Baseball games, after his alleged rape case was dropped for lack of evidence.

Baseball: Orix player Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Baseball: Orix player Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Orix Buffaloes starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws against the Seibu Lions during a baseball game at Belluna Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, on Aug. 23, 2023.

Baseball: Wu Nien-ting

Baseball: Wu Nien-ting

Wu Nien-ting of the Seibu Lions hits an RBI single in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Orix Buffaloes at Kyocera Dome in Osaka, western Japan, on May 7, 2023.

Ex-Carp ace pitcher Kitabeppu dies at 65

Ex-Carp ace pitcher Kitabeppu dies at 65

Hiroshima Carp players offer a silent prayer ahead of an interleague baseball game against the Seibu Lions at Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima, western Japan, on June 16, 2023, after Manabu Kitabeppu, a Hall of Fame pitcher who won 213 career games and was a mainstay of the Carp's Central League dynasty of the 1970s and 1980s, died earlier in the day at the age of 65 after battling cancer.

Ex-Carp ace pitcher Kitabeppu dies at 65

Ex-Carp ace pitcher Kitabeppu dies at 65

Baseball fans offer a silent prayer ahead of an interleague game between the Hiroshima Carp and the Seibu Lions at Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima, western Japan, on June 16, 2023, after Manabu Kitabeppu, a Hall of Fame pitcher who won 213 career games and was a mainstay of the Carp's Central League dynasty of the 1970s and 1980s, died earlier in the day at the age of 65 after battling cancer.

Ex-pro baseball slugger Nakanishi dies

Ex-pro baseball slugger Nakanishi dies

Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Futoshi Nakanishi, who led the Pacific League in home runs five times, batting average twice and RBIs three times during his 18-year career with the Nishitetsu Lions (now Seibu Lions), is pictured in July 2014. Nakanishi died at age 90 of heart failure at his Tokyo home on May 11, 2023.

Ex-pro baseball slugger Nakanishi dies

Ex-pro baseball slugger Nakanishi dies

Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Futoshi Nakanishi, who led the Pacific League in home runs five times, batting average twice and RBIs three times during his 18-year career with the Nishitetsu Lions (now Seibu Lions), is pictured in February 1957. Nakanishi died at age 90 of heart failure at his Tokyo home on May 11, 2023.

Ex-pro baseball slugger Nakanishi dies

Ex-pro baseball slugger Nakanishi dies

Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Futoshi Nakanishi, who led the Pacific League in home runs five times, batting average twice and RBIs three times during his 18-year career with the Nishitetsu Lions (now Seibu Lions), is pictured in March 1968. Nakanishi died at age 90 of heart failure at his Tokyo home on May 11, 2023.

Baseball: Figure skating champ Sakamoto throws ceremonial 1st pitch

Baseball: Figure skating champ Sakamoto throws ceremonial 1st pitch

Figure skating world champion Kaori Sakamoto throws a ceremonial first pitch for a pro baseball game between the Orix Buffaloes and the Seibu Lions at Kyocera Dome Osaka in the western Japan city on April 22, 2023.

Baseball: Fighters' new Hokkaido ballpark

Baseball: Fighters' new Hokkaido ballpark

Fans watch a preseason baseball game between the Nippon Ham Fighters and Seibu Lions at the Fighters' new home, Es Con Field Hokkaido, in Japan's northern city of Kitahiroshima on the ballpark's pre-opening day on March 14, 2023.

Baseball: WBC training camp in Japan

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.

Baseball: WBC training camp in Japan

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.

Ex-Cleveland Indian Lee meets press after signing with Seibu

Ex-Cleveland Indian Lee meets press after signing with Seibu

TOKYO, Nov. 27 Kyodo - Taiwanese right-handed pitcher C.C. Lee shows his Seibu Lions jersey in Tokyo on Nov. 27, 2015, as he joined the Pacific League club from the Cleveland Indians.