MESA, Ariz. — Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki had to choose between his first normal spring training or starring for Team Japan alongside Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish in the World Baseball Classic. Understandably, he chose the latter.
‘‘This year, there’s a lot of good players that are going to be in the tournament,’’ Suzuki said through an interpreter Monday. ‘‘I talked to the manager for Team Japan [Hideki Kuriyama], and he gave me some really good words, and it really motivated me to start a little earlier this spring and play for Japan.’’
