Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish offered words of sympathy for Kazuhiro Kiyohara on Thursday, saying he believes the former Seibu Lions and Yomiuri Giants slugger should be given the chance to turn his life around after he was arrested on suspicion of possessing stimulant drugs earlier this month.
Speaking at the Rangers' camp, Darvish said, "What has happened is not good but everybody makes mistakes. Just ripping into him (Kiyohara) doesn't solve anything.
"In the United States, players like that are given a second chance and Japan has to become a place where you get a second chance in society too.
"If (Kiyohara) came back through rehabilitation and won the championship as a manager (in pro baseball) then I think Japan would change."