Baseball: Marines’ Sawamura finds room to grow on and off field

Relief pitcher Hirokazu Sawamura is in a good place, having watched his career spiral out of control until he found the mental space he needed to rebuild it with the Lotte Marines and Boston Red Sox, and is once more looking to a brighter future.

“I’ve been able to find extra space in my life,” the 35-year-old said recently at Chiba’s Zozo Marine Stadium east of Tokyo. “Physically, I have no room for error, but emotionally, my life feels relaxed and calm.”

Through Saturday, Sawamura was 4-2 with two saves and a disappointing 5.40 ERA this year for the Marines following two seasons in Boston in...