Category Archives: Players

Heading used for player categories to sort onto player pages

Baseball, Paid Content, Players

Love in his heart and fight on his mind

Leave a comment
Escobar
Edwin Escobar said his job is about love, respect, and confidence.

On Monday, I made it out to Yokohama to talk with DeNA BayStars lefty Edwin Escobar. In his third NPB season, Escobar was misfiring with the Nippon Ham Fighters, whom he joined after the start of spring training in 2017. He joined the Central League’s BayStars midway through the season, where he teamed up with another native of Venezuela, manager Alex Cabrera.

Since then Escobar, who pitched in 25 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2016, has hit his stride in Yokohama as one of Ramirez’s favorite relief options in the seventh and eighth inning.

In the first stage of the CL playoffs, Escobar was hammered and took the loss in Game 1 on Saturday, but saved the day on Sunday, when he preserved a one-run lead in the seventh inning after coming on with two on and one out.

In our chat, Escobar talks about the process of coming back from a bad outing and how he prepares in the bullpen. I hope you enjoy it.

BayStars pitch Edwin Escobar prior to Game 3 of 2019 CLCS first stage at Yokohama Stadium.
Baseball, Free, News, Players, Yusei Kikuchi

Find this man a treadmill, please

Leave a comment

In talking about his desire to focus more on his fastball next season, the Seattle Mariners’ Yusei Kikuchi talked about his work ethic recently.

The lefty, who went 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA this season, his first in MLB, said what he’s good at is grinding out at the same task over and over. And though one might confuse him with a gym rat, Kikuchi said he’s no rodent.


“I’m not a hamster, but if you put me on a treadmill and told me to go, I’d run for all I was worth. Doing the same thing over and over and keeping it up is what I’m good at.”

Yusei Kikuchi from Kyodo News Plus

Read the full story HERE.