Those who enjoy watching international baseball may have noticed something peculiar at the 2025 Caribbean Series in Mexicali, Mexico, this week: a team from Japan. Though the tournament is typically reserved for winners of Latin American winter leagues, Japan Breeze became the first Asian side ever to be invited in the 75-year history of the prestigious event. So, what exactly is Japan Breeze, and how did the team perform? Let’s find out.
Last summer, the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CPBC) announced that a team from Japan would participate in the 2025 Caribbean Series, which currently consists of representatives from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. Cuba, Colombia, Panama, Curaçao, and Nicaragua were previous members.
The identity of the mysterious invitee was quickly revealed as Japan Breeze, a project under the umbrella of Asian Breeze, a showcase travel team that plays Mexican, Korean, and MLB affiliate minor leaguers. Founded in 2019 by Tomo Irokawa, the GM of the Ibaraki Astro Planets of the independent Baseball Challenge League, the team aims to help lesser-known Japanese players get in front of scouts to find opportunities with bigger clubs. Japan Breeze was established in June 2024 with Venezuelan NPB Hall of Famer Alex Ramirez serving as both CEO and Manager.
Prior to the start of the Caribbean Series, the Breeze revealed its 27-man roster consisting largely of Japanese independent leaguers. A few players with experience in NPB, Latin American winter leagues, and American indy ball were also selected.
While the majority of the names were unknown journeymen or under-the-radar prospects, fans on both sides of the Pacific Ocean were quick to recognize 43-year-old veteran Munenori Kawasaki. After finishing his MLB and NPB career, the fan-favorite has continued to play for the independent Tochigi Golden Braves, making him a perfect candidate for the team. He would go on to have three hits in the series.
Other notable players included Shuto Sakurai, a former Rakuten Eagles pitcher; Takeru Ohashi, a former DeNA BayStars prospect who played in Mexico last year; Ren Tachioka, a recent University of Southern Indiana graduate; and Isaki Ninomiya and Rintaro Hirama, both of whom pitched in the NPB farm last season for the expansion Kufu Hayate Ventures. The Ibaraki Astro Planets were strongly represented by six players thanks to their connection with Asian Breeze.
The Breeze played just one exhibition game against the Venezuelan Winter League All-Stars in December, falling 3-1. The team had very little experience and in-game reps compared to its Latin counterparts, who were all coming off winter championship campaigns. Expectations were low, but some hoped that Alex Ramirez’s men could pull off an upset during the round-robin stage.
Unfortunately, the team couldn’t defy the odds, as they went 0-4 after losses to Dominican Republic’s Leones del Escogido, 12-1, Puerto Rico’s Indios de Mayaguez, 3-2, Mexico’s Charros de Jalisco, 7-2, and Venezuela’s Cardenales de Lara, 10-0. In their second game, Japan out-hit Puerto Rico and put the tying run on base in the ninth inning, but that was the closest they got to a victory. Overall, the Breeze was blown away with a -27 run differential, including being no-hit for eight innings in a mercy rule defeat to Venezuela to end their tournament run.
The results didn’t go their way, but for the Japan Breeze players — many still without a team for the 2025 season — the chance to showcase their skills on a big stage and gain international exposure was invaluable. Looking ahead to the 2026 edition of the tournament, the Breeze is expected to compete again, with new invitee teams from Korea and Italy likely joining the lineup.
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