BOSTON — Second baseman Robinson Cano will part of a major-league all-star team that will head to Japan in November to play five games against that country’s national team in a renewal of the All-Star Series.
The tour marks the first time since 2006 that Major League Baseball, in conjunction with the players union, has sent a select team to Japan for a series of games.
Cano will be joined by, among others, Angels first baseman Albert Pujols, Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig and Orioles outfielder Adam Jones. The complete team will be announced at a later date.
Texas manager Ron Washington will fill that role for the MLB team, which will play two exhibition games in addition to its five-game series against Japan’s national team (which is known as Samurai Japan).
This will be the 11th All-Star Series between the two countries and is the 36th time that a collection of major-league players has toured Japan since 1908.
This will be the 11th All-Star Series between the two countries and is the 36th time that a collection of major-league players has toured Japan since 1908.
The tour runs Nov. 11 with an exhibition game at Koshien Stadium in Osaka against the Hanshin Tigers/Yomiuri Giants. The All-Star Series begins the following day at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka.
The Series continues Nov. 14-15-16 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo before concluding Nov. 18 at the Sapporo Dome in Sapporo.
The tour ends Nov. 20 with an exhibition game against Japan’s national team at Okinawa Cellular Stadium on Okinawa.
Short hops
Wednesday’s 4-3 loss in Philadelphia snapped the Mariners’ 15-game winning streak when they score at least three runs. … Mariners pitchers lead the majors with a 2.93 earned run average. No American League team finished among the top five in 2013. … The Mariners’ 58 errors are the fewest among AL teams. Going into Thursday, Seattle was tied with Cincinnati for the fewest errors in the majors.
Looking back
It was 11 years ago Friday — Aug. 22, 2003 — that Mariners reliever Shigetosi Hasegawa gave up a home run to Jason Varitek in the eighth inning of a 6-4 loss to Boston at Fenway Park. Varitek’s blast ended Hasegawa’s club-record scoreless streak for a reliever at 28 innings, which covered 25 appearances from June 3 through Aug. 17.
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