The Tale of The Handkerchief Prince - Yuki Saito
It seems like Dice-K Matsuzaka has just arrived. But we’re already talking about Dice-K Part 2, the sequel.
His name is Yuki Saito and he is a 5′9″ right handed freshman at Waseda University in Japan. He just led his team to the All Japan University Championships in June, posting these numbers for the tournament:
11 IP, 10 hits, 5 walks, 12 Ks, 2 ER, 1.63 ERA, 1.364 WHIP, 9.82 K/9 (Courtesy Yuki Saito Watch)
Nuts.
The title “Handerchief Kid” comes from the white sweatmop he hangs out of his back pocket to dry himself with during games. Unlike the US, this kid has been a national icon since he was 8.
He will be eligible for the bigs in 2011, until then, I gues we just have to settle for that other Japanese pitching superstar.