The "2014 SUZUKI All-Star Series" players' announcement press conference was held on the 9th in a Tokyo hotel.
With tensions high in the venue, where the official anthem that will be used in the games and TV broadcasts that Samurai Japan will compete in was played publicly for the first time, Samurai Japan manager Hiroki Kokubo announced the 28 players on the team. Apart from the first-announced Kenta Maeda (Hiroshima Toyo Carp) and five other players, this team centered around 22 young players, including Shohei Otani (Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters), Shintaro Fujinami (Hanshin Tigers), and Tetsuo Yamada (Tokyo Yakult Swallows).
Manager Kokubo explained the selection criteria by saying, "Thinking of the All-Star Series as a warm up match for the 2017 WBC, we chose some active veterans, but we mostly chose players in a young age group to give them experience. There are many starting pitchers because we need two starters per game, since there will be a limited number of pitches. (For batters,) we tried to keep a balance between right-handed and left-handed players, but we mostly focused on players who could use their legs well on average." Regarding Otani, who has gained attention as a good pitcher and batter, he said, "He's Nippon-Ham's central pitcher this season. He's got a good enough record to make it into the top teams. I think of him fundamentally as a pitcher," suggesting that he will be played solely as a pitcher in the All-Star Series.
There were many players besides Otani to be selected to represent Japan for the first time. "If I had to pick one player from each of the Central and Pacific Leagues, Yamada from Yakult has had a great season, and Yanagita from the Hawks has done a good job in running, offense, and defense. It's common for a batter to improve his average from .280 to .300, but Yamada's slugging ability has also blossomed by hitting 29 home runs. I want to experience him firsthand, and see how far he can go against MLB players. Personally, my experience of my very first All-Star Series was a very positive experience in my baseball life. I want the players who are representing Japan for the first time to make this experience theirs, and put it to use in their future baseball careers", placing high hopes on them.
"Samurai Japan was founded last year, and over the past year, the players' awareness has changed little by little, and I feel like there are more players who are saying 'I will represent Japan permanently. I want to wear the uniform and play'. In solidarity, even players from lower age brackets (amateur, 21U, university, 18U, 15U, 12U, women's) are wearing the uniform, and they are our top team. I want them to be aware that they are the top team, and become the heroes of all boys and girls."
Samurai Japan, led by manager Kokubo, will play in the "2014 SUZUKI All-Star Series Send-off Game" with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters on November 10th (Mon), and the "2014 SUZUKI All-Star Series" will begin on the 12th (Wed). They will play six games, including an exhibition game with the MLB All-Star Team.
