Takashi Saito, a former major leaguer and currently a reliever for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, announced his intention to retire from baseball at the end of the year on Monday in Sendai. It was a happy coincidence Saito's news conference was the same day members from the front office of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the last of Saito's five MLB stops, were scheduled to be in the area, so that he was able to greet them at Sendai Station.
Saito, who Arizona team president Derrick Hall called "a terrific individual," is so far the only Japanese player to have played for the Diamondbacks. Arizona wants more Saitos, more players who can connect the team with Japan.
The NL West club hasn't been shy about trying to make inroads in the country. Recently Hall, 2015 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Randy Johnson, 2001 World Series hero Luis Gonzalez, chief baseball officer Tony La Russa and senior vice president of communications Josh Rawitch traveled to Japan on a goodwill tour.