Maeda backs up the hype with gem in Japan Series

If Kenta Maeda was looking to prove that he can handle the rigors of Major League Baseball, he did it on Wednesday against a team of MLB All-Stars. Amid a clapping, chanting, trumpet-blowing crowd at the Kyocera Dome, the 26-year-old starred with five shutout innings of two-hit ball in Samurai Japan’s 2-0 victory in Game 1 of the Japan Series.