NEW YORK _ San Francisco Giants pitcher Derek Holland issued an apology after Thursday's game for racially insensitive actions and remarks he made during a television interview Wednesday.
During an appearance on MLB Network's Intentional Talk with Kevin Millar and Chris Rose, Holland conducted an interview alongside Giants massage therapist Haro Ogawa. Holland told Millar and Rose that Ogawa was his "hype man," but he failed to introduce Ogawa by name and made racially insensitive jokes during the interview.
Holland expressed remorse for his actions Thursday and gave a full statement to reporters in the visiting clubhouse at Citi Field on Thursday. Holland said he apologized to Ogawa and Giants bullpen catcher Taira Uematsu, two Japanese team employees who traveled with the Giants to New York.
When asked how he plans to take care of the situation, Holland elaborated.
"I need to apologize, I need to take care of my teammates," Holland said. "I don't want to be creating a distraction that we don't need."
