Japanese to bid for third title

Two-time defending champion Japan will launch its bid for a third World Baseball Classic crown without Major League Baseball talent when the 16-team global showdown opens on Saturday in Asia.

Daisuke Matsuzaka sparked Japan to victory in the inaugural 2006 Classic and was named Most Valuable Player for the second time after Japan held off South Korea in 10 innings to capture the most recent crown in 2009.

But Matsuzaka, Ichiro Suzuki, Texas Rangers star pitcher Yu Darvish and other talent on US clubs will not be available to Japan manager Koji Yamamoto's squad, which opens Pool A first-round play against Brazil at Fukuoka.