JPN - Tokorozawa Arsenal have been playing solid baseball. The team is 19-6 in its last 25 games.
CUB - BNN reports that the Toa Baja Coquis have just agreed with starting pitcher José Arendz on a contract extension. The total value is $19,500,000 for 3 years, which equals $6,500,000 per season.
USA - The Azua Tortugas continue to roll along. The team is 40-27, with a 7.0 game lead over Mao.
DOM – Despite key injuries, the Bocas del Toro Ranas Rojas are cruising. The club is 43-24.
CHN – The Rizao front office has been busy. The team traded 25-year old reliever F. Ivaheta and 22-year old minor league reliever L. Gai to the Baracoa Bahia, getting 35-year old shortstop K. Tenno and 22-year old minor league reliever A. Hall in return. They also traded 24-year old center fielder L. Montenergo to the Cienfuegos Piratas, getting 27-year old center fielder J. Harrán in return.
KOR - Jeonju has lost left fielder Hyo-kon Kim for at least 12 months. He was hurt in a game against the de Cangrejeros while making a defensive play and sustained a ruptured disc. His doctors said Kim will probably be out the rest of the year.
MEX - Several teams have surfaced as a possible trading partner with Chihuahua for Hyun-jong Yi — or so rumor has it. Sources inside the Chihuahuas organization report that teams have inquired about making a deal for the 33-year-old right fielder.
VEN - The Caracas lead in the LOD is now at 15.0 games.
PUR - Keep you eye on this league down the stretch. In the LAD, only 7.0 games separate the first and last place teams. In the LOD, it’s only 4.0 games.
CAN - The San Lorenzo Legends announced a deal with the Tigers today, sending 34-year old starting pitcher Sukejuro Nakamura to Detroit for 19-year old minor league starting pitcher Erin Evenson and 20-year old minor league starting pitcher Hyung-gwang Kim. It had been talked about for the past few weeks and everything came together late last night. All players are expected to be joining their respective clubs shortly.
PAN – Balboa’s Cristo Cabrera looked good in a 6-0 win at Rio Abajo. He went 8.0 innings, giving up three hits and no earned runs. He also struck out nine.
PAN – Running out of steam. The Ciudad Bolivar Liberators are 0-7 in extra-inning games to date this year.
CAN – Xi’an Kylin are on fire. The team is 9-2 so far in July and they now lead the LAD by 3.0 games.
PUR - Ponce and Arraijan have agreed in principle to a trade. The Argonauts will send 30-year old minor league center fielder Harish O’Colitaran to the Chaos Titans for 35-year old reliever Shoraku Kano. The deal is expected to be finalized shortly and the clubs will be introducing their new players to the press when the paperwork is complete.
VEN – Mexico City seeing more fans at the ballpark. The team is averaging 34,128 per game versus last year’s average attendance of 25,540.
MEX – Cancun LF Kun Kwan had a big day in a 10-4 win at Valencia. He went 3-3, scored four times, hit two homers, had five RBI, and walked twice.
KOR – Things tightening up in the LAD. One game separates the top three teams.
CHN – Changsha’s Ho Zhào has been spectacular. He’s 8-1 with a 2.40 ERA and WHIP of 0.84. He also has three of the top four pitching performances in the league so far this year.
CUB - There was a heated confrontation yesterday at Ballpark of Asahikawa between the Green Guild and Coquis that resulted in ejections and suspensions. Toshikasu Suzuki of Asahikawa and Zhao-hui Che of Toa Baja were issued 6-game suspensions by the league office for initiating the on-field disturbance.
JPN - Happy times in Tokorozawa as the Arsenal and star starting pitcher George Eames put the finishing touches on a $41,970,000 contract extension that will keep the 33-year-old in town 3 years longer.
USA – Akashi SP Seon-keun Im had a solid game in the team’s 5-1 win at Havanna. Im went 8.2 innings, allowed three hits, and struck out 11.
DOM - Dave Speight of the Bocas del Toro Ranas Rojas shut out the Bani Banshees 11-0, held them to 5 hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts. Speight said, “I could throw any pitch on any count.”
CUB - Flanked by team officials and his agent, Hui Sung announced that he’d agreed to terms with the Tigerfish earlier today. Officials declined to specify a salary publicly, but in private say the figure is $15,246,000 per year.
JPN - Vertientes fans will be disappointed to learn that Nerón Artiga developed a torn back muscle while running the bases in today’s game. After the doctor informed the Vertientes Fumadores manager that Artiga was expected to miss 7 months, the manager told the press that the rest of the team would have to step up their play until the third baseman could return.
DOM - “It was kinda freaky. Hopefully, I’ll be back in the lineup soon,” said a dejected Cristián Orno after injuring himself in a game against Santo Domingo. The Bani manager told reporters, “He will miss up to 11-12 months with a fractured elbow.” The Banshees are expected to announce a roster move in the next day or two.