Daiei Hawks pitchers Hidekazu Watanabe and Tatsuji Nishimura were released Friday while infielder Chihiro Hamana, who was cut from next season's roster, will be shuffled off in a trade to a team yet to be determined, officials of the Pacific League club said. "Discussions on the trade with Hamana, 31, are progressing. We are waiting for replies from a handful of clubs and should be able to wrap things up in the next four or five days," said general manager Ryuzo Setoyama.
Orix invites Chicago Cubs' pitching coach> Orix BlueWave has invited Chicago Cubs minor league pitching coach Jerry Ruess to its fall training camp on Miyakojima Island in Okinawa Prefecture, officials of the Pacific League club said Friday. Ruess, 52, a former major league pitcher, currently working as a coach for the Chicago Cubs triple-A affiliate Iowa Cubs, has been invited to train Orix pitchers at the Oct. 25-Nov. 13 camp.