Milwaukee Brewers’ Manager Ron Roenicke discusses Takashi Saito as conditions worsen in Japan
If there’s one thing Takashi Saito wants, it’s an opportunity to get his family out of danger in Japan. The Milwaukee Brewers’ reliever is not in the frame of mind to play baseball or star in Major League Baseball this season. The relief pitcher is trying
to come to terms with the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that have left Japan’s pacific coast cities, devastated.
Manager Ron Roenicke had the opportunity to talk about the player in detail when he faced reporters.
General Manager Doug Melvin and Roenicke have told Saito to go to Japan if he wants to, but the ball thrower is still in camp, measuring up the right choices for the immediate future. Saito’s extended family resided in Sendai, which was devastated by the
quake and the tsunami. With more than a hundred people dead, the bullpen ace fears the worst for his extended family which includes his aunts, uncles, brothers and parents.
Roenicke was able to talk to the press in detail about Saito’s mental condition as the situation in Japan worsens and said, “He wants to get his parents and his brothers in a safe area, and once he does that, mentally, he's going to feel better about coming
back to the baseball part of it. If everything goes right today, that he hears everybody is OK, he's planning to pitch an inning [on Sunday].”
"If there are still things he's uncomfortable with and he's not sure what's going on, he probably won't pitch. He'll come in and work out again.....He doesn't need to be at the ballpark right now," Roenicke added. "He needs to take care of his family, make
sure he's OK upstairs. He's getting 2-3 hours of sleep a night, and that's not good."
The Brewers will not want Saito to stick with the club if he decides to remain in the camp. The management wants him to take care of his family first and that is something that takes precedent before baseball. Right now, there is nothing anyone can do but
pray for the player and his family.
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