Intro:

The president of the Seattle Mariners hopes that next week's Major League Baseball season-opening series with the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo will encourage victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck north-eastern Japan last year.

Howard Lincoln was speaking in Tokyo on Saturday (March 24th), where his Mariners are preparing to open the 2012 MLB season against the A's next Wednesday and Thursday.

Marners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, who played last year in Japan for a club from the disaster region, says he wants to succeed in North America and be an inspiration for his fans who are still strugglito recover.

Script:

Players from the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics got a chance to check out the Tokyo Dome field firsthand on Saturday, as they held full practices ahead of next week's Major League Baseball opening series in Japan.

The clubs will play a pair of exhibition games on Sunday and Monday against Japan's Yomiuri Giants and Hanshin Tigers - before opening the 2012 MLB season with on Wednesday and Thursday.

This is the fourth time major league baseball has begun its season in Tokyo, and this year's openers will be held just over a year after north-eastern Japan was struck by a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Mariners president and CEO Howard Lincoln says he hopes the games will bring some relief and enjoyment to those still struggling to put their lives together in the region.

Seattle pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, who signed with the team in the off-season after playing last year for Japan's Rakuten Eagles club that is based in the disaster zone, added that he hopes fans back home will be inspired by his play as he attempts to succeed in North America.

This is the second time the Oakland A's have played a opening series in Tokyo and general manager Billy Beane, who has achieved celebrity status worldwide after being portrayed by Brad Pitt in the film 'Moneyball', has said would like to see the MLB play more games overseas.