Seibu Lions first baseman and three-time Pacific League home run leader Hotaka Yamakawa is set to play for Japan at the upcoming World Baseball Classic, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
Yamakawa led the PL with 41 homers and 90 RBIs while batting .266 in 129 games for the third-place Lions last year. The 31-year-old, also the 2018 PL MVP, will make his WBC debut.
Japan's 30-man roster is expected to be announced in late January after the first 12 players, led by Los Angeles Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani and San Diego Padres ace Yu Darvish, were named by manager Hideki Kuriyama last week.
Japan is scheduled to play its Pool B opener on March 9 against China at Tokyo Dome.
