Hideki Kuriyama, the Samurai Japan skipper, is a fan of Nootbaar’s speed ... “They loved Lars like he was a mascot for the Japanese national team,” Kumiko said. At the end of the tour ...

His reaction to the news was: “Lars? That little kid is a major leaguer? And he’s now on the Japan national team?” Shiozawa, now 34, was a star player in high school when he met Nootbaar ...