Old Man Kida

Interesting article in the (*spit*) Yomiuri today about veteran Swallows reliever Masao Kida today.

I’ve always had a softspot for Kida, I like his spirit.  He always gives his all and plus he’s one of the few pitchers in Japan who likes to react when he makes the final out of an inning, and I like that. Plus he’s generally been very effective in relief for Yakult, posting ERAs of around the 3 mark in each of his two years here.

Though since his recent return to the top team, he’s given up 4 home runs, 7 runs in total with an ERA of 7.560 in just 7 appearances.

I, for one, would like him to be taken on to the coaching staff when his playing days are over, he’d be a good asset to the team.