SEATTLE — A’s players were excited following the announcement that the team would open the 2019 season in Japan, an experience that is sure to be memorable for the many young players on the team. But the trip will have a special meaning for Sean Manaea.
Manaea’s brother, Dane, is a U.S. Navy member currently stationed in Yokosuka, which is about 30 minutes away from the the Tokyo Dome, where the A’s will be the home team for a two-game series with the Seattle Mariners Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday, March 21.
Deployed to Japan the past year, Dane has not watched Sean pitch live since he started a game for Indiana State his sophomore season in 2012 against Purdue, where Dane was enrolled as a student at the time.