The arm injuries to pitchers and the Oakland Athletics relocation dilemma are at the forefront of the baseball world. The latter has made some speak out about how discussions went down before the A’s leaving for Sacramento. Now Sean Doolittle, who spent the first six seasons of his career in Oakland, was asked about how he feels about the entire situation on Foul Territory. Doolittle, who was part of Washington Nationals 2019 World Series run, has a new role with the club.
Sean Doolittle Says He’ll Always Be Grateful to Oakland
“It’s heartbreaking, man. It’s infuriating. I feel awful for the fans. I feel really bad for the people that work in that organization. They’re in limbo right now, and I don’t think that’s fair in everything that they do. The fans are in limbo because I don’t know if this Vegas, if it’s happening or not. I think they’re getting more pushback there than they thought they were gonna.
“From a fan standpoint, they lost the (Golden State) Warriors, they lost the (Las Vegas) Raiders in the last few years, and now it looks like they’re losing the A’s as well. I feel so lucky to have played in Oakland, for that fan base, for that organization. That organization gave me a shot to change the course of my career when I switched to pitching, so I’ll always be grateful for my time in Oakland and playing for those fans. It was a special time.”
The left-hander did mention that the Coliseum is well past its prime and that the players deserve a better ballpark. He believes that the way it’s being handled, by heading to Sacremnto then to Vegas or someplace else, “feels like a failure.”
Two-Time All-Star is Now a Pitching Strategist
The Nationals hired Doolitte as a pitching strategist in January, serving as a liaison between the pitching staff and the analytics department. He is assisting manager Dave Martinez and pitching coach Jim Hickey with mental preparation, strategy and mechanics.
“Sean Doolittle was always an extremly talented pitcher, but he is also one of the most intelligent baseball minds you can find,” general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement.
After playing a key role on the 2019 World Series team, Doolittle returned to th club but battled injuries. While rehabbing from a left elbow injury on a minor league deal last season, he partially tore his right knee in late June. It was too late for a comeback to the majors at that point.
In addition to Doolittle pitching for the A’s and Nationals, he also pitched for the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners. Doolittle ranks third in Nationals team history with 75 saves.
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