Oswalt leaves team due to personal reasons
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Oswalt leaves team due to personal reasons
Matt Gelb
PHOENIX -- Roy Oswalt has left the Phillies for personal reasons, a team official said Wednesday morning.
The team released a statement from general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.:
“There has been a tremendous amount of tornado activity near Roy’s home in Mississippi resulting in several tragic deaths and significant devastation to the area. Because of this, Roy is concerned about his family’s well-being. He has chosen to take time to make sure there wasn’t significant damage to his home, but more importantly, to make certain that his wife and children are okay.
"It is almost a year to the day that his parents’ home was destroyed by a tornado which has heightened his concern about the current situation.
We are hopeful that he will rejoin the team for his next start, but will take that day by day."
Oswalt pitched three innings Tuesday and allowed five earned runs. He was taken out after 57 pitches by Charlie Manuel. It was Oswalt's second start since being diagnosed with mid-back spasms.
The team official said Manuel removed Oswalt because of his ineffectiveness. The personal issue was not why Oswalt's start ended after three innings.
Amaro said Oswalt is not hurt.
"We're not going to make any more comment on it," Amaro said.
Oswalt left the Houston Astros last April when a tornado hit his hometown Weir, Miss., and destroyed his childhood home. Another band of severe storms and tornados moved through Choctaw County the last two days and caused six deaths in Mississippi.
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hey davewetzel, that link is from 2010, lawyered— TUA09335
Roy's wanted out for quite some time but decided he couldn't leave a team in 1st place. Once he saw the Marlin's move ahead last night he knew the time was right.- Young Baller, I like the idea of two righties to balance Hamels/Lee. Good thinking. You're management material!— 1980
- tornado hit his hometown, so he probably went there. and its more than likely a factor in his ineffectiveness last night. calm yourselves people— aam13
- Just hope everything is OK with him and his family.— verve
- Mississippi is having a slew of tornadoes again, so perhaps that's the reason. I hope things are alright.
But even so, I don't think it would have been too much to pick up a cell phone and call the team to tell them what's going on. Even if something horrific did happen, you should still your boss and tell him what happened.— mkk9772 - Man I hope everything is ok— cuso20
Comment removed.- Clearly after watching last night's game he should have left yesterday. btw, davewetzel, that link is from last year. :-)— booman55
- Oswalt was pulled in the third inning leaving plenty of time to catch a flight out of Pheonix or Tucson to take care of a family matter. He is needed at home for PERSONAL reasons. If it is a huge family issue, he will tell Phillies' management in plenty of time to adjust the rotation before his expected Tuesday start. Every idiot that buys a Phillies hat is not given the right to kknow everything about a player. Relax people and allow the man and his family some privacy.— unbelieveable!
- "(the team) did NOT DETAIL why he has departed." Does not say the team doesn't know exactly why he left -- just that they've chosen not to share it with the press. That's why it's "personal," if they told us, it would be "public." Be glad that Roy's a private guy, unlike a certaom quarterback and fellow Mississippian, who's filled up way too many sports pages over the past few years with every nuance of every personal drama/ tragedy/ incident imaginable.— wmichael
- Who knows what lurks in the troubled soul that makes him take off for personal reasons? The Shadow do!— Wm Penn
- The guy is going back home because his family has been impacted by the storms. Give the guy a break— Don Cornelius
- Comment removed.
- that story is from last year are you stupid dave?— theeman1
