Yuki Saito’s Wife is Pregnant with Their First Child! Yuki Saito talks about his desire for children and his desire to get married.

Yuki Saito, 34, the “Prince of Handkerchief,” is expecting a long-awaited child.

The February 9 issue of “Josei Seven” (Women’s Seven) reported, “Yuki Saito Becomes a Father! His wife is pregnant with their first child. Saito made the following comment to the magazine through the company he runs.

I honestly feel that I can’t really feel it yet. However, I am suddenly imagining what I should do for the child. I hope you will warmly watch over me.

Saito announced his marriage in the off-season of 2007, when he was a member of Nippon Ham. He made his goal with a woman he had been friends with since their college days. It was his fourth year of marriage. FRIDAY Digital” interviewed Saito in August 2007, just before his marriage. He talked about his struggles during his active career, which was not always smooth, and his thoughts on marriage and family. We would like to look back on the interview in this re-recorded version (some corrections have been made to the article).

Criticism is proof of attention.

I know there has been a lot of criticism in the press and on the Internet. However, the fact that there is criticism is proof that I am still attracting attention. I try to think as positively as possible.

Yuki Saito says. The “Prince Handkerchief,” who wowed the Koshien Stadium in his days at Waseda Jitsugyo and the Jingu Shrine in his days at Waseda University, was in his ninth year as a professional baseball player, but he failed to win a single game in 2007 and had hit a wall with only four wins in the seven years since 2001. However, when we asked him about his career, he was surprisingly full of smiles. The following is a question-and-answer session with Saito.

–Saito’s expression is very cheerful.
I’m not in bad shape. I’m feeling good about myself.

–What kind of feeling?
I pitched in a preseason game against the Athletics in March, and although it was only two innings, I was able to hold off some of the best hitters in the majors. I gave up only one run, a homerun on my only blown pitch.

My pitches are figured out when hitters are in the second round, but I got the feeling that they would work in the first round.” After injuring his right shoulder in 2001, it was a trial-and-error process. I was in a hurry because I didn’t know what to do, but I finally found my own pitching style.

–How do you feel about your current situation, in which you have not won a single game this season?
Of course, I am not satisfied. But I don’t care about winning as a starter like I used to. I think I can hold down the fort as a short reliever.

–What do you think you are lacking?
I think it’s the power of my fastball. The power of my fastball. I have confidence in my breaking ball. However, my fastball is not fast enough, so I can’t make the most of my breaking ball. If I had a fastball of 150 km/h, I could use my breaking ball more effectively, and I think it is possible to increase the velocity of my fastball even though I am over 30 years old.

–Bok has not been able to produce any results in the past few years. Still, some say that being able to pitch in the first team is “special treatment” for the Koshien star. ……
But some people say that it is “special treatment” for the star of the Koshien Stadium. I am not in a position to say.

–There has been a lot of harsh criticism in the press and on the Internet.
I think he scolds me because he has love for me.

–That’s positive.
No, no, no. It’s not ‘positive. I just try to think positively. When I was in high school, I really didn’t like being written up by the media. But I was told by my college coach and alumni that people in the world don’t really care if they write strange things about me. Since then, I have tried to ignore it to some extent.

–Do you ever feel depressed?
When I gave up four runs in three innings against the Orix on August 6, I was extremely frustrated. But just being depressed is not progress. In this game, too, I was able to hold them scoreless in the first two innings. All the runs were in the third inning. So I reflected only on the third inning pitches and tried to think positively that short innings would work.

–What do you do outside of baseball?
I read a lot. Recently, I read a book called “Business Strategies from the Major League Baseball Field. I wanted to learn about the flow of money and other background information that makes baseball possible.

–Do you have any goals for the future?
It will be difficult to win 10 games as a starter, but I would like to play in many games as a short-inning reliever. I would like to pitch in more than 50 games next season.

–What do you envision in 10 years’ time?
It’s hard to say. Of course I would like to be active, but even if I am not, I would like to be involved in baseball. For example, I would like to do research on why a ballplayer who threw 1,000 pitches at Koshien didn’t break his shoulder. ……

–You are already 31 years old. Do you plan to get married soon?
I have a strong desire to get married. I also love children. But right now, all I can think about is baseball from morning to night. …… I want to find a wonderful partner soon and have a wonderful family. I really love children. I wonder if there are any good encounters out there.

Saito has maintained a positive attitude even when results have been poor since his playing days. I hope that he will be able to build a positive family in his private life as well.