推 affs:阿宅也要理頭了@@ 12/21 12:12
推 chenbiyi:果然是宅到以為洋基球場在曼哈頓XD 12/21 12:29
推 settier:噗 果然是阿宅 XDDDDDDDDD 12/21 14:29
推 ckcson:還好吧...我也不知道洋基球場位置啊..又沒去過Orz... 12/21 15:26
12/20/2006 9:36 PM ET
Igawa pays a visit to Yankee Stadium
Left-hander, Bombers close to finalizing five-year deal
By Peter Zellen / Special to MLB.com
NEW YORK -- As Kei Igawa arrived at Yankee Stadium for a tour and a meeting
with general manager Brain Cashman, a crowd of almost 40 Japanese reporters
inched closer to the metallic-blue SUV that chauffeured the Japanese
left-hander into the Bronx.
Igawa, with hair shorter than Johnny Damon's but probably a little longer
than Yankee standard, stepped from the backseat, and it didn't take long for
the camera flashes to go off.
A lone Yankees fan at the back of the scrum stated, "We didn't get Daisuke
Matsuzaka, but we got Igawa."
Not quite, but the two sides are awfully close. All one had to see to know
that was Igawa proudly wearing a Yankees jacket as he left the stadium. He
was also wearing a big smile.
"It's a wonderful place and I want to pitch here," Igawa said of Yankee
Stadium through a translation by a Japanese reporter. "The deal is not
done, but it will be nice if we can do it."
Igawa and the Yankees have agreed in principle on a five-year, $20 million
contract, but there are still some details to be ironed out.
Igawa, 27, flew into the Big Apple early Wednesday and spent much of the
day just looking around. It wasn't quite what he expected.
"My impression about New York was that there would be a lot of people
walking [on the streets]," said Igawa, who will take his physical on
Thursday. "But I was surprised there were a lot of cars."
The chilly weather had a lot to do with keeping people indoors, yet it
didn't stop the throng of Japanese media, who huddled together for a
half-hour or more waiting for Igawa to arrive, then another hour to catch
him as he left.
Media members there to catch the moment admitted that Igawa -- who went
14-9 last season with a 2.97 ERA and 194 strikeouts for the Japanese
Central League's Hanshin Tigers -- isn't as big a star as the Yankees'
other Japanese import, Hideki Matsui, but his presence here still means a
lot back home.
It also means a lot to the Yankees, who could make Igawa the third lefty
in their rotation if he joins Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Randy Johnson,
Andy Pettitte and Carl Pavano. Igawa will likely compete with Pavano in
Spring Training for the fifth spot, but both could be in the rotation to
start the season if Johnson isn't recovered from offseason back surgery.
"Brian told me that he wants me to be with the team," Igawa said.
He soon will be. New York and Igawa have until Dec. 28 to finalize an
agreement after the Yankees bid a little more than $26 million for the
left-hander.
Igawa is scheduled to fly back to Japan on Saturday, and the Yankees aren't
expected to make a formal introduction with a news conference until January.
Pettitte, who took a physical in New York on Tuesday, has flown back to
Houston to attend to a family matter. The Yankees will introduce him by
conference call on Thursday.
Peter Zellen is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to
the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
http://tinyurl.com/y2dekz
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 140.109.23.211