David Ortiz drove in a pair of runs to lead a team of Major League Baseball All-Stars to a 7-2 victory over Japan's All-Stars Friday, in the opening matchup of an eight game exhibition series.
Ortiz, who was the Most Valuable Player for the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox during the American League Championship Series, tied the game at 2-2 with an RBI single to right field in the sixth inning. Ortiz' hit came off Japan starter Koji Uehara, who took the loss despite giving up just three runs and seven hits. He also struck out six batters in six solid innings.
Kiko Calero of the St. Louis Cardinals got the win for the MLB stars, working just one-third of an inning in relief of starter Roger Clemens, who went 4 2/3 innings.
The teams play again in Tokyo Saturday and Sunday, before hitting the road for games in Fukuoka, Osaka, Sapporo and Nagoya. The series winds up back in Tokyo on November 14.
Some information for this report provided by AP.