Friday morning was a scary one for Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima.
Like millions of others across the world, the Red Sox' pitchers were desperately trying to get in touch with loved ones to ensure their safety after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit northeast Japan, creating a huge tsunami that spread across the eastern coast.
Matsuzaka and Okajima both had family in affected regions, and spent much of the day contacting family and friends in Japan.
Both pitchers reported that their family and friends are safe, according to ESPN.com, but were both extremely worried when they awoke to the news. It was even more difficult connecting through phone lines, and Matsuzaka said that he's contacted most of his loved ones through e-mail.
"It was definitely shocking waking up and hearing the news," Matsuzaka said. "Once I turned on the television and saw what was going on, it was very shocking, very scary to see that."
The Japanese media liaison for the Red Sox, Mikio Yoshimura, said that he also reached out to pitcher Junichi Tazawa and minor leaguer Itsuki Shoda, and both reported that their families are also safe.
Matsuzaka has still not been able to contact a few relatives on his mother's side, including his grandmother. Those relatives live in Aomori, a region north of the earthquake zone that reportedly has no power.
"There's no time to alert people," Matsuzaka said of the earthquake, "Which is what makes it so difficult and scary."
