They lost two of the three games by one run. “It took a big hit to get us going,” said catcher Jason Varitek. “Hopefully, this will get us off on the right foot.” Ramirez’s dramatic blast also gave life to Sox starter Tomo Ohka, who got burned in the...

“There will be some differences, but Yu has an idea of what he has to do. Mike will be able to sit down and set up a program with him.”Darvish will be the fourth Japanese pitcher with whom Maddux has worked in his career. He had right-hander Tomo Ohka...

He also pitched two no-hitters, and won the Rookie of the Year in 1995. But Nomo is the exception to the rule. Hideki Irabu, for example, made 80 starts in six seasons and compiled a WAR of 4.0. Tomo Ohka made 178 starts throughout the course of a...

He joins right-handed relievers Yoshinori Tateyama and Koji Uehara. To this point, there have been 38 pitchers born in Japan to have pitched in the Major Leagues. That includes a handful of Americans born there, but Hideo Nomo remains the all-time...

Yu Darvish has posted a 1.60 ERA combined in his last two seasons. As we wait to find out which team placed the winning bid for the right to negotiate with Yu Darvish, the right-handed ace of Japan's Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, it is very tempting to b