Yamamoto named WBC team skipper

Former Hiroshima Carp star and manager Koji Yamamoto was officially named Wednesday to skipper the Japan team that will attempt to win the WBC for the third straight time next March.
The 65-year-old Yamamoto was hired after a meeting of representatives of the 12 Japan pro baseball clubs in Tokyo.
"We need to get everyone on the same page," Yamamoto said at a press conference.
Also announced was Yamamoto's coaching staff, which will consist of two former managers in Osamu Higashio and Masataka Nashida, along with Tsuyoshi Yoda, Kazuyoshi Tatsunami, Nobuhiro Takashiro and Koichi Ogata.
Yamamoto's first action will come in a pair of exhibition games against Cuba on Nov. 16 in Fukuoka and Nov. 18 at Sapporo Dome.
As defending champion, Japan earned direct entry into the main tournament, which begins March 2.
Japanese players had threatened to boycott the event over revenue sharing and other issues, but conceded when a deal was reached.

(Photo: New Uniforms of Samurai Japan)

(Read full story on Jiji-Daily Yomiuri)