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Newest MLB Division: AL Pacific?

The time may be right for Japanese expansion teams

By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff

Posted May 25, 2008 3:33 PM CDT
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(Newser) – With the help of modern air travel, Major League Baseball should seriously consider expanding across the Pacific, writes Jim Caple for ESPN. Such a move could be both profitable and intriguing, and keep Japan from hemorrhaging its best talent. Though, as Red Sox manager Terry Francona points out, "Saying it would be fun and making it work are two different things."

Critics worry about jet lag, but Caple believes that if the schedule were arranged well, it needn't be too hard on the players. So should the MLB add Japanese teams as expansions, or start new teams in Asia? There could also be a Japanese division that feeds a team into the playoffs, or an all-Asia division that does the same.

Masanori Murakami was the first Japanese player to play in the major leagues in 1964, when he joined with the Giants. The popularity of baseball in Japan could make a cross-Pacific division viable.
Masanori Murakami was the first Japanese player to play in the major leagues in 1964, when he joined with the Giants. The popularity of baseball in Japan could make a cross-Pacific division viable.   (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Boston Red Sox pitcher Hideki Okajima is asked for his autographs before the Major League Baseball regular season game between the Sox and the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Hideki Okajima is asked for his autographs before the Major League Baseball regular season game between the Sox and the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.   (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
Jason Hallas of Oakland, CA, celebrates with a Godzilla poster as he cheers the Oakland Athletics playing against the Boston Red Sox in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, March 26, 2008.
Jason Hallas of Oakland, CA, celebrates with a Godzilla poster as he cheers the Oakland Athletics playing against the Boston Red Sox in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, March 26, 2008.   (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)
Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz walks along with performers before his team kicked off their season with a game against the Oakland A's in Tokyo.
Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz walks along with performers before his team kicked off their season with a game against the Oakland A's in Tokyo.   (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
Kansas City Royals' Yasuhiko Yabuta is one of 15 Japanese players in the major leagues this season, part of an influx that has some saying the MLB should include Japanese teams.
Kansas City Royals' Yasuhiko Yabuta is one of 15 Japanese players in the major leagues this season, part of an influx that has some saying the MLB should include Japanese teams.   (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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