Phillies invite former NPB All-Star pitcher to spring training

BayCare Ballpark is the spring training home of the Phillies. (Cheryl Pursell)The Phillies are adding a former Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star pitcher as a non-roster invitee to spring training.

Koyo Aoyagi, 31, will battle for a spot on the major league roster with the Phillies in Clearwater. He spent the last nine years with the Hanshin Tigers, making the All-Star team in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Aoyagi won gold at the 2020 Olympics with Samurai Japan and started Game 7 of the Tigers’ Japan Series win in 2023.

Aoyagi is the first player the Phillies have ever signed directly out of Japan. If he makes the major league roster, Aoyagi will be only the third Japanese player ever to appear in…