SHANGHAI, June 27 -- THE Yankees became the first Major League Baseball club to enter into a sponsorship deal with a company from China, announcing an agreement on Monday with that nation's largest dairy company, the Yili Group, to advertise at Yankee Stadium and in Yankees Magazine.

Earlier this year, the Yankees and the Chinese Baseball Association entered into a working agreement. On July 6, the Yankees will introduce left-handed pitcher Liu Kai and catcher Zhang Zhenwang, who became the first Chinese players to sign with an MLB organization.