Before a recent game against the Yomiuri Giants, a rival Central League player remarked that rookie Hirokazu Sawamura might become the Giants' best hurler once he really learns how to pitch.
The young star isn't ready to go quite that far yet. First, he wants to help the slumping Giants get things turned around. Then, he says, he'll worry about his stats.
"My own numbers aside, the Giants have been struggling to pick up wins and get over .500," Sawamura told the Japan Times in a recent interview. "As for myself, I also haven't performed as well as expected.