Japanese Sports Briefs

Jan 7, 2009 - 5:03 PM (Courtesy of Kyodo News Service) TOKYO, Jan. 7 Kyodo ---------- Baseball: Lotte makes Iguchi 3-year, 600 mil. yen offer NAGO, Japan - The Lotte Marines offered infielder Tadahito Iguchi a three-year deal worth a total of about 600 million yen after opening negotiations on Wednesday. Iguchi, who was released by the Philadelphia Phillies at the end of the 2008 season, has not made a decision yet as he is awaiting offers from several other clubs in Japan as well as in the major leagues. ---------- Soccer: Striker Nagai to join Shimizu S-Pulse TOKYO - Shimizu S-Pulse said Wednesday that Japan striker Yuichiro Nagai will join the J-League first-division club on a full transfer from Urawa Reds. The 29-year-old Nagai, who was named MVP of the Asian Champions League when Urawa became the first Japanese team to be crowned kings of Asia in 2007, scored five goals in 26 league matches this past season and has 51 career goals in 249 games. ---------- Snowboarding: Takeuchi 2nd at World Cup for unprecedented finish KREISCHBERG, Austria - Tomoka Takeuchi came second in the women's parallel giant slalom Tuesday, producing the best-ever finish in the event for a Japanese athlete at a World Cup. Takeuchi finished behind Austrian Doris Guenther, who came fourth at the 2006 Turin Olympics, in the final. She made her first podium finish since placing third at a World Cup in February 2004 in Sapporo. Austria's Claudia Riegler was third. ---------- Baseball: Japan's Uehara agrees on 2-year deal with Orioles: report NEW YORK - The Baltimore Orioles have agreed in principle on a two-year deal with Japanese right-hander Koji Uehara, the Baltimore Sun reported in its online edition Tuesday, quoting industry sources. The $10 million, incentive-laden deal is pending specific contract language and a physical, which is expected to take place later this week, though an appointment in Baltimore has yet to be scheduled, according to the newspaper.