The Associated Press
Seattle closer Kazuhiro Sasaki has added a curve to his arsenal of pitches. Hitters had learned to lay off his trademark splitter and last season began shelling his fastball.

M's closer is open to improving

Seattle reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki adds to arsenal of pitches

KIRBY ARNOLD, FOR THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Tuesday, March 19, 2002

PEORIA, Ariz. -- It's the taping of the Seattle Mariners' new television commercials and Kazuhiro Sasaki is wearing the perfect outfit.

He's flipping burgers on a bullpen barbecue, and pulled over his neck and tied at his waist is an apron that reads: "Kiss the closer."

Please, somebody.

Sometimes it seems nobody needs a hug more than Sasaki. Other times, he's so happy he could hand out the hugs and kisses to everyone in the ballpark.

Welcome to the world of a closer -- Sasaki's world -- where he's the last pitcher in a close game and almost always puts his neck on the chopping block of defeat.

Sasaki walked off the mound 45 times last year flashing the smile of a job well done, converting 45 saves that were the second most in the American League and most ever by a Mariner in one year.

He saved 37 the previous season to set the team rookie record.

After all that success, however, the one game Sasaki didn't save is what people mention most these days.

It has been nearly five months since Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run homer that helped the New York Yankees win the American League Championship Series. But it seems like only yesterday that someone reminded Sasaki of it.

And the day before that, and the day before that ...

"It was a good year for the Mariners and I myself had a good year. But all I saw on TV was the home run I gave up to Soriano," Sasaki said. "It was really getting on my nerves. It seemed like that was the only thing that people remembered."

Well, it did stand out.

Soriano's homer -- more of a wind-blown pop-up than a home-run blast -- nevertheless cleared the fence at Yankee Stadium to give New York a 3-1 victory in Game 4 of the ALCS and a 3-1 lead in the series.

When the Yanks clinched the next night with a 12-3 win, everyone seemed to go back to the pitch to Soriano.

Despite a winter of seeing and hearing about that home run, Sasaki did his best to forget about it. Closers somehow do that.

"The best of them have to walk off after the ninth inning having taken a loss," pitching coach Bryan Price said. "If losing affects you the next day in a negative way, then you can't be a closer. You have to bounce back and handle the tough losses just as you would understanding what makes you successful in handling the victories."

What makes Sasaki a success is his split-finger pitch, also known as a forkball. It sizzles toward the plate like a fastball, then takes a dive.

Kaz struck out 62 batters in 66 innings last year, finishing many of them off with the splitter.

When he failed -- there were four losses -- it most often was because Sasaki didn't have another suitable pitch to accompany the splitter.

His fastball is considered decent but not great by major league standards and if he's not razor sharp with it, the splitter isn't enough.

Many times last year, batters simply laid off the splitter and waited for the fastball, which they clobbered for 48 hits, including six home runs.

"There aren't many guys in baseball who can just throw fastballs by major league hitters and he's aware of that," Price said. "When he's locating his fastball, he buries you in the count with it and they have no choice but to swing at the forkball. When he's not locating his fastball and falls behind in the count, he becomes susceptible like anybody else."

That's why Sasaki worked at spring training last year and again is fine-tuning his curveball, a third pitch that can have important implications to his repertoire if he can throw it with consistency.

"I think it adds to his effectiveness by announcing to the league that he's going to get you out with his breaking ball as well as his fastball and his split," Price said.

"For a guy who's had two really dominating seasons, there's room for him to be even better. If you think about being a two-pitch pitcher, with the split and an average major league fastball, to have done the things he has done is extremely impressive."

Sasaki, who begins his third year in the majors after 10 years as Japan's career saves leader, needs 16 saves to tie the Mariners' career mark. Mike Schooler saved 98 games from 1988-92.

Not that Sasaki is counting, though.

Asked what it will mean to set the record, he said he wasn't aware of it.

Would he want to know?

"No," he said.

Why?

"I'm not really worried about it."

Sasaki then came clean.

"I know exactly how many saves I have and how many saves I need to break a certain record," he said. "The media always lets me know. I act like I don't know."

What he's sure of is this: Many of the Mariners, Sasaki included, believe the coming season will be a failure if they don't reach the World Series.

"We've lost to the Yankees two years in a row," he said. "We were right there, we were one step away from a World Series. Of course that's going to be our goal, and if we don't achieve that, it's going to be disappointing."

But if the Mariners succeed, it probably will mean two things:

Sasaki will be on the mound at the finish, and nobody will need to remind him of how last season ended.

Mariners glance

- Monday: Colorado 6, Seattle 1.

- Wednesday: Mariners vs. Chicago Cubs at Peoria, noon.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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