Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto headed to MLB after his Orix club agrees to transfer

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be allowed to move to a Major League Baseball team under the player posting system, the Orix Buffaloes said Sunday after it lost Game 7 of the Japan Series to the Hanshin Tigers. The ace pitcher has been widely reported ready to move to MLB and is expected to be a top target. “I’d like to thank my team for accepting my request,” Yamamoto was quoted by Japan’s Kyodo news agency as saying after Orix lost 7-1 in the Games 7 on Sunday.