Saito better late than never

Veteran reliever relishes chance to close things out

Jacoby Ellsbury goes the barehand route to corral Nick Markakis's ninth-inning single. The Orioles' rally fell short and they dropped their fourth straight. (Bill Greene/Globe Staff)

By Michael Vega

Globe Staff / April 20, 2009

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From the moment he signed with the Red Sox Jan. 10, Takashi Saito envisioned pitching in pressure-packed moments before a raucous Fenway Park crowd. But the Japanese reliever never expected to stare down the barrel of a more intense moment than the one he faced in the ninth inning of yesterday's 2-1 victory over the Orioles. (Full article: 727 words)