Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters right-hander Satoru Kanemura will be questioned by club officials Tuesday after he criticized manager Trey Hillman for taking him off the mound with a three-run lead and two outs in the fifth inning in Sunday's game against the Lotte Marines.
"I'll never forgive him. He is a foreign manager, so he probably doesn't care about individual stats. I don't even want to see his face," Kanemura said after the Fighters lost 8-4 to the Marines at Chiba Marine Stadium.
In the bases-loaded situation, Kanemura, 30, needed one more out to have a chance of notching his 10th win of the season.
He has posted double-digit wins in the past four seasons. Takehiko Oshimoto, who inherited the bases-loaded jam from Kanemura, allowed Toshiaki Imae to clear the bases with a double to right-center for a 4-4 tie.
Kanemura allowed eight hits, walked one and struck out none in 4 2/3 innings. A senior Nippon Ham official said, "Kanemura wasn't good on the mound today.
The manager patiently kept him on the mound for that long. I don't understand players who mention their own stats at a time when the team is in a must-win situation every day."