Jays and Astros hope to match Dodgers' Japan success

The Dodgers, who also boast Japanese pitcher and World Series Most Valuable Player Yoshinobu Yamamoto, beat the Toronto Blue Jays in a seventh-game thriller last November to defend their title. That helped inspire the Canadian club to sign a four-year deal worth $60 million with infielder Kazuma Okamoto, a former Tokyo Yomiuri Giants slugger who helped Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic. "We definitely got better today," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Tuesday at Okamoto's unveiling.