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Yankees Tanaka in 2nd bullpen

NEW YORK, United States - New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who has been on the disabled list due to a slight tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, pitches in the bullpen on Aug. 20, 2014, in New York. In his second bullpen session, Tanaka tested out his curve ball, slider and split-fingered fastball.

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Yankees Tanaka in 2nd bullpen

NEW YORK, United States - New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who has been on the disabled list due to a slight tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, throws pitches in the bullpen, as manager Joe Girardi (far L) looks on on Aug. 20, 2014, in New York. In his second bullpen session, Tanaka tested out his curve ball, slider and split-fingered fastball.

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Yankees Tanaka in 2nd bullpen

NEW YORK, United States - New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who has been on the disabled list due to a slight tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, pitches in the bullpen, under the watchful eye of pitching coach Larry Rothschild on Aug. 20, 2014, in New York. In his second bullpen session, Tanaka tested out his curve ball, slider and split-fingered fastball.

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Nippon Ham's Otani ties Japan's fastest 162-kph pitch

NISHINOMIYA, Japan - Shohei Otani of the Nippon Ham Fighters throws a 162-kilometer-per-hour fastball, a tie for the fastest in Japan's professional baseball, on his second pitch against lead-off batter Takashi Toritani of the Hanshin Tigers in the bottom of the first inning in game 2 of the All-Star series at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, western Japan, on July 19, 2014. Marc Kroon of the Yomiuri Giants threw a 162 kph ball in 2008.

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Up-and-coming Fujinami, Otani pitch in All-Star game

NISHINOMIYA, Japan - Shintaro Fujinami of the Hanshin Tigers (L) and Shohei Otani of the Nippon Ham Fighters, the two rivals from their high school days, are starting pitchers in game 2 of the All-Star series at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, western Japan, on July 19, 2014. Otani threw a 162-kilometer-per-hour fastball to tie the Japanese record. Otani's Pacific League team beat the Central League squad 12-6.

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High school flamethrower Otani

HANAMAKI, Japan - Hanamaki Higashi High School pitcher Shohei Otani (L) speaks during a press conference in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 21, 2012. Otani, an 18-year-old armed with a fastball clocked at 160 kilometers per hour, will become the first potential top draft pick to make the direct jump from a Japanese high school to the major leagues after the right-hander announced his decision to play in the United States.

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High school flamethrower Otani

HANAMAKI, Japan - Hanamaki Higashi High School pitcher Shohei Otani speaks during a press conference in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 21, 2012. Otani, an 18-year-old armed with a fastball clocked at 160 kilometers per hour, will become the first potential top draft pick to make the direct jump from a Japanese high school to the major leagues after the right-hander announced his decision to play in the United States.

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High school flamethrower Otani

HANAMAKI, Japan - Hanamaki Higashi High School pitcher Shohei Otani speaks during a press conference in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 21, 2012. Otani, an 18-year-old armed with a fastball clocked at 160 kilometers per hour, will become the first potential top draft pick to make the direct jump from a Japanese high school to the major leagues after the right-hander announced his decision to play in the United States.

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High school flamethrower Otani

HANAMAKI, Japan - Hanamaki Higashi High School pitcher Shohei Otani speaks during a press conference in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 21, 2012. Otani, an 18-year-old armed with a fastball clocked at 160 kilometers per hour, will become the first potential top draft pick to make the direct jump from a Japanese high school to the major leagues after the right-hander announced his decision to play in the United States.

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High school flamethrower Otani

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows Shohei Otani of Hanamaki Higashi High School pitching during the final game of the Iwate prefectural high school baseball tournament in the northeastern Japan prefecture in July 2012. Otani, an 18-year-old armed with a fastball clocked at 160 kilometers per hour, will become the first potential top draft pick to make the direct jump from a Japanese high school to the major leagues after the right-hander announced his decision to play in the United States on Oct. 21, 2012.

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Kanemoto gets 2,000th career hit in Hanshin's victory

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Hanshin Tigers' Tomoaki Kanemoto (2nd from L) lined an RBI single to right on a 2-2 fastball from Hayato Terahara (L) in the seventh inning of a game against the Yokohama BayStars at Yokohama Stadium on April 12, attaining his 2,000th career hit as the Tigers rallied to beat the BayStars 6-3. Kanemoto became the 37th player in Japanese baseball to achieve the milestone.

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H. Matsui hits three-run homer

ARLINGTON, United States - Hideki Matsui (R) is greeted by teammates after hitting a three-run go-ahead home run in the fourth inning in the New York Yankees' 8-5 victory over the Texas Rangers at Ameriquest Field on May 7. With none out and runners on first and second, Matsui carried a Robinson Tejeda (L) fastball into the stands in right-center to turn a 1-1 tie into a 4-1 lead. (MLB)

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Tohoku Fukushi hurler Kumagai signs U.S. minor league deal

SENDAI, Japan - Ray Poitevint (L), vice president of the American League's Boston Red Sox, and Tohoku University's Ryo Kumagai hail the right hander's signing of a minor league deal with the Red Sox at the university in Sendai on Jan. 15. Kumagai, who has a fastball clocking 147 kilometers per hour from a sidearm delivery, is scheduled to take part in spring training with the major league club later this year.

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High school flamethrower Otani

HANAMAKI, Japan - Hanamaki Higashi High School pitcher Shohei Otani (L) speaks during a press conference in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture, on Oct. 21, 2012. Otani, an 18-year-old armed with a fastball clocked at 160 kilometers per hour, will become the first potential top draft pick to make the direct jump from a Japanese high school to the major leagues after the right-hander announced his decision to play in the United States. (Kyodo)

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Kanemoto gets 2,000th career hit in Hanshin's victory

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Hanshin Tigers' Tomoaki Kanemoto (2nd from L) lined an RBI single to right on a 2-2 fastball from Hayato Terahara (L) in the seventh inning of a game against the Yokohama BayStars at Yokohama Stadium on April 12, attaining his 2,000th career hit as the Tigers rallied to beat the BayStars 6-3. Kanemoto became the 37th player in Japanese baseball to achieve the milestone. (Kyodo)

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Tohoku Fukushi hurler Kumagai signs U.S. minor league deal

SENDAI, Japan - Ray Poitevint (L), vice president of the American League's Boston Red Sox, and Tohoku University's Ryo Kumagai hail the right hander's signing of a minor league deal with the Red Sox at the university in Sendai on Jan. 15. Kumagai, who has a fastball clocking 147 kilometers per hour from a sidearm delivery, is scheduled to take part in spring training with the major league club later this year.

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Baseball: Otani sets speed record, goes distance in win over Giants

A scoreboard at Tokyo Dome shows 163 kilometers per hour (101 miles per hour) for Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Shohei Otani's fastball in the fourth inning of an interleague game against the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome on June 5, 2016. Otani's fastest pitch broke the record of 162 kph in Japan that he shared with former Giants reliever Marc Kroon. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Baseball: Otani sets speed record, goes distance in win over Giants

Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Shohei Otani clocks a record 163 kilometers per hour (101 miles per hour) on his fastball in the fourth inning of a 6-2 interleague win over the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome on June 5, 2016. Otani threw a complete game and improved his season record to 4-4. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Baseball: Otani sets speed record, goes distance in win over Giants

Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Shohei Otani clocks a record 163 kilometers per hour (101 miles per hour) on his fastball in the fourth inning of a 6-2 interleague win over the Yomiuri Giants at Tokyo Dome on June 5, 2016. Otani threw a complete game and improved his season record to 4-4. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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FEATURE: Baseball: Two seam or not two seam is question for Hawks' Wada

SoftBank Hawks left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, shown pitching on Aug. 27, 2017 against the Lotte Marines in Fukuoka, spent four years pursuing his major league dream in the United States. He is now a firm believer in the value of the moving, two-seam fastball. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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H. Matsui hits three-run homer

ARLINGTON, United States - Hideki Matsui (R) is greeted by teammates after hitting a three-run go-ahead home run in the fourth inning in the New York Yankees' 8-5 victory over the Texas Rangers at Ameriquest Field on May 7. With none out and runners on first and second, Matsui carried a Robinson Tejeda (L) fastball into the stands in right-center to turn a 1-1 tie into a 4-1 lead. (Kyodo) (MLB)

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Nippon Ham's Otani ties Japan's fastest 162-kph pitch

NISHINOMIYA, Japan - Shohei Otani of the Nippon Ham Fighters throws a 162-kilometer-per-hour fastball, a tie for the fastest in Japan's professional baseball, on his second pitch against lead-off batter Takashi Toritani of the Hanshin Tigers in the bottom of the first inning in game 2 of the All-Star series at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, western Japan, on July 19, 2014. Marc Kroon of the Yomiuri Giants threw a 162 kph ball in 2008. (Kyodo)

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Up-and-coming Fujinami, Otani pitch in All-Star game

NISHINOMIYA, Japan - Shintaro Fujinami of the Hanshin Tigers (L) and Shohei Otani of the Nippon Ham Fighters, the two rivals from their high school days, are starting pitchers in game 2 of the All-Star series at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, western Japan, on July 19, 2014. Otani threw a 162-kilometer-per-hour fastball to tie the Japanese record. Otani's Pacific League team beat the Central League squad 12-6. (Kyodo)

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Baseball: Highly touted high school pitcher

Highly touted Ofunato high school pitcher Roki Sasaki reacts after a 4-2, 12-inning win over Morioka Daiyon in the fourth round of Iwate Prefecture's tournament on July 21, 2019, in Morioka, northeastern Japan. He threw a fastball clocked at 160 kilometers (99.4 miles) per hour during the game. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Baseball: Highly touted high school pitcher

Highly touted Roki Sasaki of Ofunato high school pitches in the fourth round of Iwate Prefecture's tournament on July 21, 2019, in Morioka, northeastern Japan. He threw a fastball clocked at 160 kilometers (99.4 miles) per hour during the game. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Baseball: Highly touted high school pitcher

Highly touted Ofunato high school right-hander Roki Sasaki, seen in this file photo, threw a fastball clocked at 160 kilometers (99.4 miles) per hour in the fourth round of Iwate Prefecture's tournament in northeastern Japan on July 21, 2019. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Baseball: Angels' Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels throws a 101-mile-per-hour fastball during the fifth inning of a game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston on April 24, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Baseball: Shohei Ohtani career highlights

Combined photo shows Shohei Ohtani (below) of the Nippon Ham Fighters throwing a 165 kilometer-per-hour fastball and a large screen displaying the pitch speed at Sapporo Dome on Oct. 16, 2016. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Baseball: Otani ready to go to majors: source

Shohei Otani of the Nippon Ham Fighters throws a 165 kilometer-per-hour fastball at Sapporo Dome in October 2016, the fastest pitch ever thrown in Japanese baseball. His desire to play in the major leagues as soon as possible has not diminished, a source familiar with the matter said on Sept. 13, 2017, indicating he could enter the so-called posting system after this season. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo