In September, MLB and the MLBPA announced that, in a renewal of a century-old tradition, major leaguers will be heading to Japan for an All-Star barnstorming tour that will be called, appropriately enough, Japan All-Star Series.
The All-Star Series will be played in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagoya, with an exhibition game played against the Yomiuri Giants on November 8th, followed by three games against a Japanese All-Star team in Tokyo from November 9-11, one game in Hiroshima on November 13 and two games in Nagoya on November 14-15. MLB Network will provide live telecasts of the games from November 9-15.
While a few participants were announced in September, this morning the full roster was released:
Pitching and the infield seem a tad weak. The catching trio and the outfielders, however, are pretty spiffy. Not a bad team overall.
Don Mattingly will be the team’s manager. His coaches will Henry Blanco (WSH, Bullpen coach); Fredi González (MIA, Base coach); Edgar Martinez (SEA, Hitting coach); Hideki Matsui (Base coach); Hensley Meulens (SF, Bench coach); Brent Strom (HOU, Pitching coach).