Worth noting

• Cubs pitchers and Japanese natives Kyuji Fujikawa and Hisanori Takahashi spoke to the throng of over 100 Japanese media members prior to Friday's exhibition. Fujikawa was a member of the 2006 and 2009 Japanese World Baseball Classic teams but decided, along with the Cubs, not to participate this year in order to get better acclimated to the United States prior to his debut Major League season. Fujikawa, a 32-year-old right-hander who played for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan, signed with the Cubs in early December for two years and $9.5 million and figures to be the setup man for closer Carlos Marmol.

• Quirk, who was acting manager for Chicago during the exhibition, had Fujikawa, a Classic veteran, bring the lineup card to the umpires before the game began. "That was my idea," Quirk said. "Playing in Japan, I thought it would be an honor. He didn't know what it was all about, but I talked to our interpreter about it. I knew they'd be taking a lot of pictures and thought it would be fun for him to go out."

• Yamamoto played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp for 18 years (1969-86) and was named MVP of the Central League in 1975 and 1980. He was a 14-time All-Star who ranks fourth all-time in Nippon Professional Baseball history with 536 career home runs. In November 1974, Yamamoto played against the New York Mets, who were on a Japanese tour. Team USA manager Joe Torre was playing first base for the Mets during that tour.