SEATTLE — Ichiro Suzuki has answered his country’s call.

The Seattle Mariners’ All-Star right fielder will play for Japan in the inaugural World Baseball Classic next March, said a person within Major League Baseball who requested anonymity because an official announcement had not been made.

The most famous athlete in Japan today has accepted an invitation from the country’s most famous athlete of yesteryear. Sadaharu Oh, the Japanese League home run king, will coach the national team in the March tournament involving international players and major-league players competing for their home countries.

Baseball plans to announce rosters for competing teams Monday during the annual winter meetings.

Ichiro’s acceptance was first reported in Thursday editions of The Seattle Times.

Japan will be home for the first round of the 16-team tournament, March 3-5 inside the Tokyo Dome. Japan is part of group A, with South Korea, China and Taiwan.

Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Pitchers Joel Pineiro, Juan Carlos Romero and Juan Padilla said Thursday that they will play for Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic.

“I was dreaming of playing in a situation like this and now I am going to have that opportunity,” Pineiro, a starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, told The Associated Press.

Romero, a left-handed reliever for the Minnesota Twins, and Padilla, a New York Mets reliever, were playing in Puerto Rico’s winter league to prepare for the Classic.

Romero finished last season with a 3.47 ERA in 57 innings, while Padilla had a 1.49 ERA in 36 innings.

Pineiro was 7-11 last season with a 5.62 ERA.

The Puerto Rican team for the Classic will include Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado, Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran and Baltimore Orioles catcher Javier Lopez.

Cuban pitcher Livan Hernandez, of the Washington Expos, has said he wants to play for the Puerto Rican team, but his eligibility hasn’t yet been determined.