The Japan Breeze, playing in the 2025 Caribbean Series for the first time as an invitee, announced their official roster for the 2025 Caribbean Series on January 27.
⚾️Serie del Caribe
Japan Breeze ROSTER ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/9mn533dnHC— Japan Breeze Official｜Serie del Caribe 2025 (@Japanbreeze2024) January 28, 2025
They played against the Liga Venezolana All-Stars at Estadio Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela, on December 10 and lost 3-1, and did not participate in any winter league during the 2024-25 season.
Japane Breeze pitcher Gaku Ueda played in the 2024-25 Liga Profesional De Béisbol Colombia season with the Caimanes de Barranquilla before he signed with the Rieleros de Aguascalientes in Liga Mexicana de Beisbol for the 2025 season on January 25.
Ueda played in 27 games in the 2024-25 LPBC season with Caimanes de Barranquilla and went 2-0, posting a 1.00 ERA in 27 appearances out of the bullpen with two saves, throwing 36 innings, allowing 25 hits, four earned runs, two home runs, 17 walks, and a 1.17 WHIP.
Japan Breeze pitcher Shinra Asano played with the Aguilas de Zulia in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional for the 2024-25 season and threw 3 1/3 innings in relief, allowing two earned runs, striking out four and walking two batters.
Outfielder Ren Tachioka will be a player to watch for from the Japan Breeze. Tachioka batted ninth and played center field against the LVBP All-Stars. He joined the Breeze after playing three seasons at the University of Southern Indiana. In 2024, he batted .363/.453/.421 in 49 games with the Screaming Eagles, going 69-for-140 with a homer and 23 RBIs.
Former MLB player and middle infielder Munenori Kawasaki is the big name for the Japan Breeze. Kawasaki has won two World Baseball Classic titles with Japan in 2006 and 2009 in his illustrious career. He played in eight games at the 2006 WBC and batted .259 with 27 at-bats, ripping seven hits, one double, one home run, five RBI, swiping two bases, two walks, and one strikeout en route to help win against Cuba 10-6 at Petco Park in San Diego during the first-year of the event.
In the 2009 WBC, Kawasaki played in five games in seven at-bats, and batted .429 with the same slash line, cracking three hits, one RBI, and swiping one base to help the Land of the Rising Sun win their second title and beat South Korea 5-3 in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium.
Kawasaki, 44, played for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks from 2001-11 before heading to the United States in 2012. He played with the Seattle Mariners in 2012, the Toronto Blue Jays from 2013-15, and the Chicago Cubs in 2016, before heading back to Asia to play a second stint with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2017, his final professional season in a major league.
Kawasaki re-signed with the Baseball Challenge League’s Tochigi Golden Braves on Jan. 20, 2025 prior to being on the active roster with the Japan Breeze. He has played with the Tochigi Golden Braves for the last four seasons.
In Kawasaki’s 17 seasons in the MLB, NPB, and minor leagues, he has played in 1,710 games with a lifetime average of .283 with 6,892 plate appearances, dialing 1,717 hits, 238 doubles, 75 triples, 31 home runs, 494 RBI, swiping 311 bases, 504 walks, 894 strikeouts, and a .705 OPS.
During Kawasaki’s 12 seasons in NPB, he has won three Japan Series in 2003, 2011 and 2017, was selected eight-times to the NPB All-Star Game from 2004-11, won the NPB All-Star Game MVP in 2005, won the Best Nine Award in 2004 and 2006, won the Golden Glove Award in 2004 and 2006, led the Pacific League in hits and stolen bases in 2004, led the PL in stolen bases in 2004, and won the NPB Interleague Play MVP Award in 2008.
World Baseball Network’s Leif Skodnick provided detailed information on the Japan Breeze on January 20 about the outlook of what to expect from the team, which takes the field against the 2024-25 LIDOM champion Leones del Escogido on Saturday, February 1 at 3:50 p.m. EST.
2025 Caribbean Series Schedule
All times Eastern Standard Time
All games broadcast in English on MLB Network
January 31
4:30 p.m. – Venezuela (Cardenales de Lara) vs. Dominican Republic (Leones del Escogido)
11 p.m. – Mexico (Charros de Jalisco) vs. Puerto Rico (Indios de Mayaguez)
February 1
3:50 p.m. – Dominican Republic vs. Japan (Japan Breeze)
8:50 p.m. – Mexico vs. Venezuela
February 2
3:50 p.m. – Japan vs. Puerto Rico
8:50 p.m. – Dominican Republic vs. Mexico
February 3
3 p.m. – Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico
8 p.m. – Mexico vs. Japan
February 4
5 p.m. – Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic
10 p.m. – Japan vs. Venezuela
February 5
5 p.m. – Semifinal 1 – Second Place vs. Third Place
10 p.m. – Semifinal 2 – First Place vs. Fourth Place
February 6
10 p.m. – Third Place Game
February 7
10 p.m. – Championship Game
