Hiroki Kuroda knocked back the Brew Crew with his second straight scoreless start to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-0 win against Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Kuroda, who pitched seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates last Wednesday, blanked the Brewers in 7-2/3 innings at Dodger Stadium for his National League-leading tie fifth win of the season.
Japan will warm up for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers starting this autumn with an August friendly against South Korea in Sapporo, the Japan Football Association announced Monday. The match will kick off in the evening at Sapporo Dome on Aug 10. Japan’s World Cup qualifying campaign begins in September.
Makoto Kaneko went 3-for-4 with three RBIs as the Nippon Ham Fighters beat the Orix Buffaloes 9-1 on Sunday to take the lead in the Pacific League. Kaneko pushed Nippon Ham’s lead to 4-1 when he doubled in two runs in the sixth inning. The shortstop added a run-scoring single in the seventh at Ocean Stadium in Hokkaido.
Ventforet Kofu stunned defending J-League champion Nagoya Grampus 3-1 at home for their first victory of the season on Sunday.
In their first meeting with Nagoya in four years, Mike Havenaar scored a decisive second midway through the second half for the promoted Yamanashi Prefecture club, who had three draws and two defeats from their first five games on the year.
The Nippon Ham Fighters’ Yuki Saito may need a month before returning to the rotation after the 22-year-old right-hander was diagnosed with a left abdominal strain on Monday.
An MRI revealed that the injury is expected to shelve Saito for two to three weeks, but according to chief trainer Yoshihiro Fukushima, the heralded rookie could be out longer.
Yokozuna Hakuho got back to the earnest business of winning Sunday, putting on his bravest face at a meet which this time is only for show.
After a match-fixing scandal caused the cancellation of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in March and following an earthquake and tsunami in the northeastern Japan sumo resumed with a "test meet" to a surprisingly enthusiastic crowd at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Weeks ago, it was almost inconceivable that Vegalta Sendai would be playing in the J-League in the wake of a devastating earthquake and tsunami, let alone leading Japan’s domestic football competition.
Japan Football Association President Junji Ogura said Tuesday that the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the Argentina Football Association have sent letters to soccer’s world governing body FIFA asking that it cooperate to gain the release of Japanese players for this summer’s Copa America.
Juventus striker Alessandro del Piero is launching a T-shirt business to support disaster areas of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Del Piero, one of the most popular foreign players in Japan, announced on Friday that he will sell originally designed T-shirts for 15 euros each and donate all proceeds to the Japanese Red Cross Society.
The Boston Red Sox said Friday pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka has pledged $1 million to help victims of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan on March 11.
''Our efforts on the field are dedicated to all who are suffering from this catastrophe,'' the club quoted Matsuzaka as saying in a videotaped message released earlier this month. ''We are in this together, so we must overcome tragedy together.''
Yomiuri Giants outfielder Alex Ramirez has pledged 1 million dollars to support earthquake relief efforts in Japan, his club said Tuesday.
The two-time Central League MVP will also donate medical supplies through a doctor friend.
Japan have risen to 15th in the latest world rankings released Wednesday by soccer world governing body FIFA.
The 2011 Asian Cup champions moved up two spots from the previous month and remained the highest-ranked team in the region, with Australia following in 21st and South Korea 29th.
Newly crowned WBA super bantamweight champion Akifumi Shimoda will likely face No. 1 contender Rico Ramos of the United States in his first title defense in June, Teiken Gym chairman Akihiko Honda said Monday.
‘‘We have been told by the WBA to hold a mandatory title fight.
Japan’s ski jumping team came up short in its bid for a third consecutive Nordic ski world championship medal on Saturday with a sixth-place finish in the large hill event.
Veteran Noriaki Kasai was Japan’s best performer with a jump of 125.5 meters, combining with Taku Takeuchi (115.5), Fumihisa Yumoto (111.0) and Daiki Ito (123) for 410.7 points.