Astros' Nori Aoki ready to play for Japan, third WBC title

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. --- Astros manager A.J. Hinch had planned for outfielder Nori Aoki to play at least seven innings if not the entirety of Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Braves.

But as soon as a Sam Freeman fastball grazed Aoki's shoulder and sent him to the ground in the sixth inning, Hinch pulled the plug. After one injury scare, there was no reason to risk the possibility of another in Aoki's final game before the World Baseball Classic.

"There was no chance I was going to leave him in after that," Hinch said after the Astros' 3-2 win at Champion Stadium at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.

Aoki, who escaped the hit by pitch unscathed, has a marathon Monday ahead of him. The 35-year-old will fly from Orlando to Chicago, from where he will catch a direct, 13-hour flight home to Tokyo. After visiting with members of his family, he plans to join the Japanese national team on March 2 ahead of its WBC opener on March 7 against Cuba in Tokyo.

Aoki played in each of the Astros' first two Grapefruit League games this weekend because of his impending departure. He had three singles in a combined five at-bats with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored and saw time in center field, where he will play for Japan, in addition to left field, where he will play for the Astros during the season.

Asked how prepared he felt for the WBC after only two games, Aoki chuckled.

"It's hard to say," he said through a translator. "It's only two games, but I'm just going to do my best."

The international language of the fist bump bonds Astros free-agent signees Nori Aoki, left, and Carlos Beltran on Thursday at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. The international language of the fist bump bonds Astros free-agent signees Nori Aoki, left, and Carlos Beltran on Thursday at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Photo: Karen Warren, Staff Photographer Photo: Karen Warren, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 62 Caption Close Astros' Nori Aoki ready to play for Japan, third WBC title 1 / 62 Back to Gallery

The oldest player and the only major leaguer on Japan's roster, Aoki is a veteran leader for his national team. He is also a two-time vet of the WBC, having played on both of Japan's championship teams, in 2006 and 2009, before sitting out in 2013 to ready for what was just his second major league season.

Japan, which placed third in the 2013 WBC, is considered the favorite in its pool, which also features Cuba, China and Australia. The two teams to advance from the pool would stay in Tokyo to play the winners of a pool consisting of Israel, Korea, Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands.

If Japan once again advances past the two rounds of pool play, the Astros would be without Aoki until the final week of spring training. The WBC semifinals are set for March 20 and 21 with the championship game on March 22. Both the semifinals and finals will be played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

This will be Aoki's first WBC as a major leaguer. He debuted stateside in 2012 with the Milwaukee Brewers, the first of five teams he has played for.

"I've gotten to know a lot of the guys over here. I know a lot of the players I'm going to be playing against," he said. "It's going to different playing against them as a country, country to country. I'm really excited and hopefully I can experience really good moments in the WBC."

Aoki reported early to Astros spring training two weeks ago, affording him more time to work out with his new team. Enticed by adjustments he made with his swing in the second half of last season, the Astros claimed him off waivers from the Seattle Mariners in November.

A left-handed singles hitter with a low strikeout rate, Aoki will make $5.5 million this season as a platoon left fielder. He projects to bat ninth most of the time he's in the lineup if the Astros are at full strength.

"Watching him from afar, you see the quality of at-bats and the meticulous nature in which he conducts himself on the field," Hinch said. "Being close to him and seeing it first hand, there's a lot of work that goes behind (it) for him to be such a good hitter."

Aoki singled off Julio Teheran to lead off Sunday's game and walked and scored on an Evan Gattis single in the third. He grounded out to third base in the fourth before he was hit by Freeman's pitch in the sixth.

Hinch emerged from the dugout with an Astros athletic trainer and Aoki's personal translator, Kosuke Inaji, as soon as Aoki hit the deck. Aoki walked under his own power back to the vistors clubhouse where he was soon met by a dozen members of the Japanese media.

"Just stay healthy and come back in the same condition that you're leaving in," Hinch said of the parting message he would offer Aoki before he left. "My main concern is obviously I want him to be good when he comes back and be prepared but I just want him to be healthy."