Shogo Akiyama, who signed with the Cincinnati Reds earlier this week, said Wednesday he looks forward to facing off against fellow Japanese major leaguers Masahiro Tanaka and Kenta Maeda in pitcher-batter matchups this season.At a crowded media session at Great American Ball Park where the Reds introduced him as the first Japanese player in franchise history, Akiyama said he wanted to join his countrymen at the highest level of professional baseball."I want to face the New York Yankees' Tanaka and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Maeda, both players who've been competing at a high level. One of the…READ FULL ARTICLE
