Baseball: Japanese pitcher to join A's

The A's are adding another pitcher, and they went a long way to find him.

Keiichi Yabu of Japan is expected to be introduced to the Bay Area media at a Thursday news conference, and he'll be given a shot to win a big-league job in the rotation or bullpen.

Yabu, 36, was 6-9 with a 3.02 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) for the Hanshin Tigers. In 11 seasons with Hanshin, he was 84-106 with a 3.57 ERA. He was a Rookie of the Year in 1994.

The A's are hiring an interpreter to accompany Yabu, who took a physical Tuesday.

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