Hideki Okajima has never been one to answer questions after a poor outing, which has certainly not endeared him to the Boston media. But a lot can be forgiven when you're playing setup man on a championship winning team.
Not so much when you're sporting an ERA approaching six on what could be the first Red Sox team to sell in years.
After emphatically blowing a save against the Seattle Mariners Sunday, Hideki Okajima went to the locker room, and once again refused to answer questions. But he's no longer performing, and the media is certainly not taking it.
Okajima so far refusing to take questions. Unprofessional to say the least.
As has been his cowardly habit for most of his 3 years in Boston when he doesn't pitch well, Hideki Okajima refuses to answer questions.
True professionalism on the part of Okajima: Refusing to answer questions after today's game. Got to be accountable.
Adrian Beltre isn't sure what Hideki Okajima was thinking on Kotchman bunt. Unfortunately, Okajima not willing to explain himself.
As Lauber mentions, the media aren't the only ones who want answers. Amalie Benjamin backs him up:
To be clear, players care when teammates don't talk. Beltre asked us today what Oki had told us about the play. It matters.
Now, I don't know what exactly the media and/or Beltre are really expecting Okajima to do. Will a big mea culpa really make everyone feel better? We all know who screwed up the game. We all expect him to do just that everytime he enters in relief.
This whole "no answers" controversy is just a symptom of Okajima's complete failure to perform. The problem isn't that he's not talking, it's that he's being allowed to pitch and have something to talk about. If nothing else, perhaps the Boston media can do some real good for this team by making Francona push him into the deep recesses of the pen (or to free agency) with their storied venom.
Rock on, media. Rock on.