Saito rose to national stardom as a senior for Waseda Jitsugyo High School when he led the team to a title in the 88th National High School Baseball Championship in 2006.[1] He was given the nickname The Handkerchief Prince (ハンカチ王子, Hankachi Ōji) by the Japanese media for his use of a handkerchief to wipe sweat from his face while on the mound and is also often referred to as Yū-chan (佑ちゃん, Yū-chan).
