Notebook: Sasaki's new baggage includes bruised ribs
Mariners closer Kazu Sasaki, injured in a freak fall at home Sunday night, was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday — retroactive to Friday — with bruised right ribs.
After returning from the Mariners' 12-game road trip, Sasaki lugged his suitcase up his stairs, lost his balance and fell on the steps.
"He had a pretty good bruise," manager Bob Melvin said. "He threw out here (Tuesday in the field) and had some discomfort. Then, after he got on the mound in the bullpen, there was considerable pain. He had some trouble sleeping (Tuesday) night, so we decided to put him on the disabled list."
Sasaki said, "It happened exactly like it was announced. When it first happened, it hurt. But I came to the park (Tuesday) and threw a little bit before practice. And I thought it was bearable. In the fifth inning, BP (pitching coach Bryan Price) told me to play some catch. That's when it really hit me. I didn't even get to extend. The catcher never got down. Just plain catch. It was really sore.
"I feel very bad. It was a mistake I made carrying the luggage and falling."
This is the second time Sasaki has been on the DL this season. He strained his lower back last month and was out from April 23 to May 7.
"It is in a completely different area," he said.
Julio Mateo, who was sent out to Class AAA Tacoma on Tuesday to make room for new lefty reliever Matt White, was called back. He actually never left. The rules allow a player to return at any time in case of injury.
"We'll wait and see (if it will be 15 days)," Sasaki said. "It's tough on me right now, not just in a baseball sense but just moving around. There is a lot of pain right now."
Melvin said Arthur Rhodes and Jeff Nelson will share the closer role until Sasaki returns.
Other weird injuries
Sasaki, who makes $8 million a year, can certainly afford a porter. Allen Turner, his interpreter, even joked that Sasaki said, "Next time he's going to have me carry his bag."
The injury is unusual, but other Mariners have had much more bizarre injuries. Kevin Mitchell holds the top spot for strangeness, once for bruising his ribs vomiting and another time injuring himself while eating a cupcake. He also once missed a game because of a strained eyelid. Ken Griffey Jr. also was placed on the DL for pinching a tender body part with his cup.
Former Mariner Glenallen Hill went on the DL with Toronto because he had a sleepwalking nightmare about spiders and fell into a glass table. Another former Mariner, Vince Coleman, missed the 1985 World Series after he was rolled up in a tarp machine. Then later in his career, he injured teammate Dwight Gooden when he accidentally hit him with a golf club in the clubhouse.
There have been many other outlandish injuries around baseball: Roger Craig cut his finger on a bra strap; Ryan Klesko pulled a muscle picking up his lunch tray; Wade Boggs pulled a muscle pulling on his cowboy boots; Nolan Ryan missed a start after a coyote bit him.
And John Smoltz once burned himself on his chest ironing a shirt — while he was wearing it.
M-pathizing with Expos
Edgar Martinez knows just a little of what the Montreal Expos are experiencing. The Expos are 15 games into a 22-game, 25-day, six-city road trip. The Mariners had a 20-day trip at the end of the strike-shortened 1994 season. Falling Kingdome tiles sent them on the road before the strike wiped out the rest of the season.
Martinez is one of three remaining Mariners who went through that. The others were catcher Dan Wilson and reliever Jeff Nelson.
"It creates problems family-wise," Martinez said. "Your personal life has to go on, but it becomes very, very hard to be on the road that long. You're not happy, but what can you do? The wife has to do everything, be the two parents. She has to be the father and the mother."
Notes
• John Mabry, on the DL with a strained shoulder, took batting practice yesterday for the first time since his injury. But his problem will be throwing because he still has trouble lifting the arm. Melvin said it will be 7-10 days before he'll be ready.
• Last night was the first of 19 Mariners games broadcast in HDTV by Comcast, the cable provider that serves more than 1 million customers in Washington. Games will be shown live on digital cable Ch. 100.
• While it was not set up intentionally, the Mariners will send their three hottest starters against the Atlanta Braves this weekend. The matchups: tomorrow, Freddy Garcia (6-6, 5.00) vs. Russ Ortiz (7-3, 4.02); Saturday, Jamie Moyer (10-2, 2.93) vs. Mike Hampton (2-3, 4.05); Sunday, Gil Meche (8-3, 3.32) vs. Greg Maddux (5-5, 4.58).
• In conjunction with KOMO radio and Northwest Harvest, the Mariners will collect food and money donations at the Safeco Field gates before the games tomorrow and Saturday.