Doubts have already been cast in the press whether Yakult's pitching staff can survive the 1998 campaign without two of their key hurlers.

Masato Yoshii left the team in search of Major League stardom and Terry Bross was released after a poor 1997 outing.

Yakult will rely heavily on starters Ishii and Kazuya Tabata in 1998 while hoping for comeback performances from Akimitsu Ito, Yoichi Okabayashi, Kenjiro Kawasaki and Futoshi Yamabe.

Travis Driskill, who led the AAA Buffalo Bisons to a championship last year, will likely find a permanent spot on Yakult's starting rotation. Meanwhile Ryuji Miyade, a 21-year old right hander who spent the last few years on the Yakult farm team, is hoping to succeed in Japan's big leagues.

Former Seibu Lions ace Hisanobu Watanabe, who hasn't pitched well for five years, will get a chance to revive his career with the Swallows.