Dear White Sox Fans,
I had a great time this season in the city of Chicago and with its tremendous fans. I played in Japan for 13 years, but still the reaction by White Sox fans when I entered the game was pretty amazing to me. It was exciting for me to see how excited our fans were.
Initially, I was concerned about having a new life here in the United States. But the very warm welcome from fans and the people in Chicago made my life so much easier this summer. Thank you.
The summer weather in Chicago was easier than I expected, but I was amazed at how cold it was to start the season. Of course, this is probably not news to you.
The main reason I came to the United States was to test myself and to test my 13 years of baseball experience in Japan. Would it work in the Major Leagues or not? My pitching style has not changed from how I threw the baseball in Japan. I don't throw a hard fastball, but instead try to use many pitches to many locations with many velocities to get hitters out. I have been pleased that this style has continued to work in the Major Leagues.
In Japan and in Japanese baseball, you always respect older people and age differences. Here in the White Sox clubhouse, we all are at the same level. We all can and do talk to one another. Ozzie is the kind of manager who, off the field, creates a very relaxed environment for the players so that on the field, we can focus on the game. All of our coaches help create the same environment -- we are very aggressive about winning, but also make sure everyone is having fun.
For our team and the Chicago White Sox fans, it has been a very disappointing season. But our team never gave up, and we will fight right through the end of the season.
Thank you again, White Sox fans, for your warm welcome to Chicago.
Sincerely,
Shingo Takatsu