KND Report: Koji Uehara done for the year

September 11, 11:02 PMAsian-American Sports ExaminerMichael Street

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Asian-American Sports Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Baltimore fans won't see this sight again
until 2010 (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Though it wasn't terribly surprising, the Baltimore Orioles announced today that pitcher Koji Uehara's elbow was not healthy enough for him to return in 2009.

"It's unfortunate, because we were all looking forward to getting him back and maybe getting him some time in the bullpen to see if that would be a little better fit for Koji and the club," manager Dave Trembley said.

Uehara's hasn't pitched since June 23, when he looked strong in his last start before Baltimore put him on the DL with elbow discomfort.

Tests later revealed that he was suffering from a partially torn flexor tendon in his right elbow, but doctors determined that rest and rehabilitation—not surgery—was the solution.

That prognosis still stands. "The team doctor as well as the second-opinion doctor told me that it's not necessary," he said when asked whether he'd need to go under the knife, "so I don't think so."

The team had already determined that he would pitch out of the bullpen when he returned, hoping that the lighter workload would help him stay healthy. His DL trip was the second of the season, though the first one was a hamstring that had given him problems even in Japan.

Conditioning and durability are issues for Japanese pitchers who come to the MLB from NPB (the Japanese pro leagues), where six-man rotations are the norm, the season is shorter and the league is smaller, both in geography and the number of teams.

The larger rotations gives them more rest between starts; when combined with the shorter seasons, this means a lighter load on pitchers. Uehara only pitched over 200 innings twice in his Japanese career, and that was 204 and 207 innings; he typically threw in the 160-180 IP range. MLB workhorse CC Sabathia, on the other hand, threw 253 innings in 2009, and has averaged 223 IP over his 9-year career.

Travel in NPB is much less an issue when the entire league only spans the Japanese islands, instead of the continent of North America.

Kattobase Nijonjin Daiirigaa!

Fewer teams mean fewer players, so Uehara has fewer hitters to learn and dominate.

Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka has had durability problems this year, while Kenshin Kawakami has already been moved to the bullpen, in part to avoid any chance of wearing him down.

Uehara didn't want to give up so easily, and initially had suggested another week of rest after several bullpen sessions showed he couldn't throw comfortably. But Trembley nixed the idea; with the Orioles out of the playoff hunt, getting Uehara back for perhaps a week didn't make sense.

Uehara will now pack up and head home to Japan, where he intends to continue to prepare to be a starter.

The Orioles may have other ideas, as they may not want to risk their $10M investment unless they're sure he can hold up over the entire season.

But it's wonderful to hear such spirit from Uehara, who was clearly disappointed with his first season, but determined to come back stronger than ever.

For other KND Reports: Read about Ichiro Suzuki's 2000th MLB hit here.