By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Regardless whether the Philadelphia Phillies qualify for the postseason, the club's Sept. 30 finale against the Atlanta Braves will not be the last professional game within the 2018 calendar year for left fielder Rhys Hoskins and first baseman Carlos Santana.
In November, Hoskins and Santana will be among accomplished Major Leaguers who will travel to Japan to compete in a seven-game exhibition series with Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), according to MLB.com.
The tour will open on Nov. 8 against the Yomiuri Giants at the Toyko Dome, followed by three more games in Tokyo (Nov. 9-11), one game at Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium in Hiroshima (Nov. 13), and two games at Nagoya Dome in Nagoyoa (Nov. 14-15). The exhibition series will be broadcast live on MLB Network starting Nov. 9. The exhibition series will be the 37th time that MLB players have toured Japan, with the first occurrence dating back to 1908.
Other announced players who will join Hoskins and Santana on the tour include: St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich, Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield and Los Angeles Dodgers INF/OF Chris Taylor.
Santana competed for Major League Baseball during the last Japan tour in 2014, along with other accomplished players including Jose Altuve, Robinson Cano, Evan Longoria, Yasiel Puig and Salvador Perez. The Japan roster featured now-Major Leaguers DH/RHP Shohei Ohtani and RHP Kenta Maeda.
Before the 2014 series, then-Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said that Major League Baseball is "delighted" that many of its "finest players" will represent the sport.
"This event will not only resume a longtime baseball tradition, but also will illustrate the historic bond that links us to our Japanese friends and peers," Selig said. "On behalf of our Clubs, I thank Nippon Professional Baseball, and all of us at Major League Baseball look forward to another memorable experience."
The rest of the 2018 All-Star Tour roster will be announced at a later date, as the 2018 regular season concludes.
