Baseball: WBC-winning Samurai Japan members return to MLB clubs

World Baseball Classic MVP Shohei Ohtani and other Samurai Japan major leaguers have returned to their respective spring training homes in Arizona and Florida a week before the opening of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar, whose personality and gutsy play helped him establish a big Japanese fan base while representing his mother’s native country, appeared in an exhibition game Thursday in Jupiter, Florida, going 0-for-1 with a walk against the New York Yankees.

While expressing his wish to play for Japan again, Nootbaar told reporters Ohtani had surprised him with the gi...