Baseball: Yankees, Red Sox chase Japanese high school pitcher
News On Japan via New York Times -- Oct 22

Japanese high school pitching sensation Shohei Otani has triggered a bidding war among Major League Baseball clubs by deciding to play in the United States.

The 18-year-old, who boasts a 160kph fastball, is set to become the first potential top pick in the Japanese draft to make the jump directly from high school to MLB.

The Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers are among eight MLB clubs leading the chase to sign Otani, Japanese media reported on Monday.

プロ野球ドラフト会議の1位候補、注目の160km/h右腕・大谷翔平投手(18)が、進路を発表した。大谷投手は、メジャーへの挑戦を決断した。




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