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BRADENTON, Fla. -- Masumi Kuwata, one of the top pitchers in Japanese baseball history and a major leaguer for the first time last season at age 39, retired Wednesday from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Kuwata, who turns 40 on Tuesday, had a 1.80 ERA in five innings this spring, but had not pitched since March 18. When it became clear that he would not make the Pirates' opening-day roster, he chose to retire rather than start the season at Triple-A Indianapolis.
To honor Japanese tradition, Kuwata carefully walked to the McKechnie Field mound about an hour after the Tigers-Pirates exhibition game ended and, without stepping on the white-painted pitching rubber, carefully placed a ball atop it.
More than 50 Japanese reporters and photographers watched the ceremony, some with visible emotion. Kuwata is a beloved baseball figure back home after spending his career with the country's signature team, the Yomiuri Giants.
The right-handed Kuwata, the most valuable player of Japan's Central League with the Giants in 1994, was offered a minor league coaching job by the Pirates but declined that and will return to Japan.
"I wanted to try one more time," Kuwata said. "I thought I was pitching with good results. But my heart was telling me it was time to retire."
Kuwata had long wanted to pitch in the majors but, saddled with a restrictive contract he signed with the Giants early in his career, could not do so until last season. Full story
Nats' Estrada on DL
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Catcher Johnny Estrada has been put on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow injury by the Washington Nationals.
The Nationals also sent outfielder Ryan Langerhans, infielder Pete Orr and pitchers John Lannan and Chris Schroder to Triple-A Columbus as the team finalized the 25-man roster.
Estrada's DL move is retroactive to March 21. He didn't play in any exhibition games.
Left-hander Lannan, a starter, and right-hander Schroder, a reliever, were optioned to Columbus. Langerhans was sent outright to the minor league club, while Orr was reassigned.
Pettitte stays on target
TAMPA, Fla. -- Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte threw 36 pitches during a 10-minute bullpen session and remains on target to start the third or fourth game of the regular season.
Pettitte originally was to start New York's second game against Toronto on Tuesday but was pushed back due to back spasms.
Pettitte is scheduled to pitch in a minor league game Saturday. That outing could be pushed back to Sunday if he feels stiffness Thursday.
Also, Yankees left fielder Johnny Damon was scratched from Wednesday's game against Philadelphia with flulike symptoms. He could miss a couple of days.
Rockies release Giles, option Smith
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Colorado Rockies sent several players to minor league camp, including Seth Smith, who helped fuel the team's first pennant drive with a series of key pinch hits last September.
The Rockies also released former All-Star Marcus Giles, who lost out to rookie Jayson Nix for the starting job at second base.
Two others who were in the mix, Omar Quintanilla and Ian Stewart, were optioned to minor league camp, while catcher Humber Cota was reassigned to minor league camp.
Cota, who has played in parts of seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2001, agreed to a minor league deal with the Rockies on Saturday, then went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI in his Colorado debut that day.
Royals acquire Ramirez
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Right-hander Ramon Ramirez was acquired by the Kansas City Royals from the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named.
The Royals also traded outfielder-first baseman Justin Huber to San Diego for a player to be named, and assigned right-handers Roman Colon and Chin-hui Tsao and catcher Ken Huckaby to minor league camp.
Kansas City also designated left-hander Jorge De La Rosa for assignment and optioned right-hander Kyle Davies to Triple-A Omaha, clearing the way for left-hander John Bale and right-hander Brett Tomko to get the final two spots in the rotation.
Right-hander Hideo Nomo, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2005, strained his groin against San Diego on Tuesday night.
Cubs cut Cintron
TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Chicago Cubs released Alex Cintron, leaving Ronny Cedeno and Mike Fontenot as the likely backup infielders.
Cintron had a rough spring. After having surgery on his right elbow during the offseason, he got hit on the right side of his face by a foul ball off the bat of teammate Mark DeRosa while waiting in the on-deck circle.
A career .277 hitter in parts of seven seasons, he spent the previous two with the Chicago White Sox after playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The move leaves the Cubs with 30 players on their roster -- 16 pitchers, two catchers, seven infielders and five outfielders. Piniella said Sean Marshall, who opened camp competing for a spot in the rotation, has the inside track over fellow left-hander Carmen Pignatiello for a relief role as long as he "can acclimate himself in short order."
Reitsma bolts M's camp
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Reliever Chris Reitsma has left the Seattle Mariners's camp after learning he would not make the Mariners' roster for the start of the season.
Reitsma drove away from spring training camp in Peoria, Ariz., after a meeting with general manager Bill Bavasi and manager John McLaren.
Reitsma was in camp as a non-roster invitee. He has a 9.00 ERA in four games this spring.
He has had five operations on his pitching elbow, including two in the past 20 months. Mariners officials say he was told the coaches wanted him to stick with a rehabilitation program into next month. After that, they say, he was told he might be added to the roster.
Bailey sent to minors
DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Homer Bailey is headed back to the minors to work on that control.
The Cincinnati Reds sent their former first-round draft pick to Triple-A Louisville, settling the last question about their rotation. Right-hander Josh Fogg will get the final open spot.
The Reds gave the 21-year-old Bailey every opportunity to make it, even rearranging their schedule to let him pitch on Monday night in what amounted to his last chance. When he walked six batters in less than five innings, the decision essentially was made.
The right-hander didn't make enough progress in his biggest shortcoming. He still needed too many pitches to get through innings, limiting how long he was on the mound. In 19 innings this spring, he walked a team-high 16 and gave up 24 hits. He finished with a 5.21 ERA.
Saltalamacchia optioned
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Gerald Laird won his duel with Jarrod Saltalamacchia for the job as the Texas Rangers' starting catcher.
Saltalamacchia was optioned to the Rangers' minor league camp. The 22-year-old switch-hitter, acquired in the July trade that sent Mark Teixeira to Atlanta, will catch every day at Triple-A Oklahoma.
The Rangers spent spring training allowing Laird, the opening day starter last season, and Saltalamacchia to compete for the starting job. The two split the job the final two months of last season.
Saltalamacchia hit .250 in 13 spring training games, with two home runs and eight RBI and eight strikeouts. In 14 games before Wednesday, Laird was hitting .263 with four home runs and nine RBI.
Indians dispatch Mastny
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The Cleveland Indians optioned right-hander Tom Mastny to Triple-A Buffalo, giving their final bullpen spot to left-hander Craig Breslow.
Mastny's future appeared decided when the club claimed Breslow on waivers from the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Breslow is out of minor league options, while Mastny had one remaining.
Mastny did not have a strong spring after being one of Cleveland's most reliable relievers a year ago. The 27-year-old went 0-1 with one save and a 6.39 ERA this spring.
In his first full season with the Indians last year, the 6-foot-6 reliever went 7-2 with a 4.68 ERA in 51 appearances. In the postseason, he didn't give up a run in 4 2/3 innings over three outings, winning Game 2 of the ALCS in Boston.
Tigers part with Byrdak
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Reliever Tim Byrdak was released by the Detroit Tigers after the left-hander allowed 15 runs and 21 hits in 10 innings during spring training.
Byrdak pitched to five batters in the ninth inning of Detroit's 10-9 victory against Houston on Tuesday, walking four and allowing one hit. His spring ERA was 13.50.
Byrdak started the 2007 season with Triple-A Toledo before joining the Tigers bullpen on May 14.
He gets $175,205 in termination pay rather than his $712,500 salary.
Braves trade Yates
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Atlanta Braves traded relief pitcher Tyler Yates to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league pitcher Todd Redmond.
The 22-year-old Redmond is 22-21 in three minor league seasons.
Yates, a 30-year-old right-hander, appeared in 131 games in relief during the past two seasons. He is 6-12 in his career with a 5.15 ERA.
Dodgers drop Seanez
LOS ANGELES -- Veteran right-handed reliever Rudy Seanez was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Seanez had spent parts of three seasons with the Dodgers.
The 39-year-old was 6-3 with a 3.79 ERA and one save in a career-high 73 games for the Dodgers last season. He signed a $550,000 one-year contract shortly before the start of spring training, and could have earned as much as $1.3 million in salary and bonuses had he stuck with the team.
Seanez first pitched for the Dodgers in 1994-95. He has also played for Cleveland, San Diego, Atlanta, Texas, Boston, Kansas City and Florida.
FL Gov. calls for help
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Charlie Crist called on Mr. October to help keep baseball in Florida each February and March.
Crist met with Hall of Fame outfielder Reggie Jackson, who earned the "Mr. October" nickname because of his World Series slugging for the New York Yankees, as well as Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer, former catcher Rick Dempsey and Baltimore Orioles vice president John Angelos to make it clear he'll do whatever he can to keep spring training in Florida.
All assured Crist that at least the Yankees and Orioles won't be deserting Florida for the Arizona desert, as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians are doing this year.
Major league teams have been coming to Florida to prepare for their seasons for a century. But Arizona began competing as a training site in 1946, when the Indians and New York Giants based their camps there. The Cactus League expanded to three teams in 1952. Several teams have moved back and forth between the states in the decades that followed, a migration that's been working more in Arizona's favor in recent years.
