Indonesia's 'field of dreams': Youth tournament to pitch baseball to nation

TOKYO -- A former Yomiuri Giants player is working to popularize baseball in Southeast Asia, with plans to hold a tournament in Jakarta modeled after Japan's "Summer Koshien" high school championship.

"I want to spread the charm of Koshien, part of Japan's traditional baseball culture, across borders and expand the baseball market," Shogo Shibata said while announcing the tournament on Tuesday. Shibata played in Koshien and now runs a consulting company in Singapore.