US clubs chase schoolboy Kikuchi

TOKYO: Japanese schoolboy Yusei Kikuchi will hold "speed interviews" with Major League Baseball clubs as the race to sign the explosive left-hander heats up.

The 18-year-old pitcher is poised to meet representatives from eight MLB clubs including the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning today.

Kikuchi's high school said their coveted pitcher would also speak to officials of all 12 Japanese domestic ballclubs over the next four days. Kikuchi would hold talks with all 20 clubs at his Hanamaki Higashi high school in Iwate, northern Japan, the school's coach, Hiroshi Sasaki, said.