Original articles (with pictures) can be found here and here
“It’s more than the money” — Randy talks about the tenth year of his career, his first as a “Japanese” player
On February 4, Hanshin pitcher Randy Messenger (37) sat down for an interview with Daily Sports. Randy’s fierce love of the Tigers harkens back to the words of Jeff Williams (46), a current US-based scout and former Tigers pitcher who helped the team win the Central League pennant in 2003 and 2005, who famously said, “the sense of being needed is what separates the men from the boys.” Having played for a full nine seasons, Messenger will no longer count against the cap on foreign players — but he has yet to win a pennant with the Tigers. “Big Mess” opened up about his determination and drive as he prepares to don number 54 for the tenth season.
Daily Sports: Usually you’re in the bullpen from the first day of camp — but not this year?
Randy Messenger: I decided to build myself up gradually for opening day. I’ve still got two months, so I’ll train in a lot of different ways to get ready.
DS: You’re first in line to be the opening day starter.
RM: Yeah, for the last four years my season’s started with me being the opening day starter, so I’d like to pitch on opening day this year too and take care of business.
DS: When you first got to Japan, did you have any idea you’d be with the Tigers for ten years?
RM: No, I didn’t think I would make it this far. [Former Hanshin pitcher] Jeff Williams was here for seven years, so I figured I could probably go that long, but ten? I’m shocked myself.
DS: I’m sure you had some offers from MLB teams during that time, right?
RM: Yeah, there was talk about heading back, but when it came down to making a decision between going back and staying in Japan, both me and my family realized that playing in Japan would be best for us. So we decided to stay.
DS: Williams once said, “it’s important to be needed by others; that’s what separates the men from the boys.”
RM: I agree, and if you’re going to play the game for a long time you need to have a strong mind. You need to become the kind of strong person that people need. Japanese players tend to say timid things, but they don’t need to. You won’t be able to compete for long if you don’t become a strong person in your own heart.
DS: Have the team and Tigers fans made you feel needed?
RM: Oh, definitely, and at this point it’s not about the money or anything. The fans love me and the coaches respect me, so more than the money, I’m thinking about what I’m capable of doing, and about playing baseball here.
DS: Is that the main reason you’ve stayed here so long?
RM: I’m here because the Tigers say they need me here.
DS: This season is your tenth. You’ve contributed more than most foreign players that have been on the team, and set a lot of records. In nine years you’ve finished everywhere from second place to last, but you haven’t come in first yet.
RM: Yeah, winning is the most important thing for me. Meeting your personal goals is important, but this is a team sport. Individual stats come after the team has won, so I’m just focused on winning this year.
DS: You need one more win to reach an MLB-NPB combined 100 wins, and five more for 100 wins in the NPB alone.
RM: Of course I’d be happy to get 100 wins, but I haven’t had the experience of winning the pennant. It would be perfect if I could do both.
“Developing younger players is also part of my job”
DS: With the manager changing there’s more emphasis on autonomy at camp. Have you felt any change?
RM: Manager Yano trusts me, and I know what it is I need to do. I respect Yano’s style of baseball, with the emphasis on autonomy, so at the same time I’m working to prepare myself.
DS: In Japan the philosophy and management style is usually “do this” or “do that”. Is the focus on autonomy closer to American baseball, and is it easier for you to work with?
RM: Certain players need to work with the program the front office gives them, but the players who know how to handle themselves are just pushing right ahead. That’s the kind of style I want to have moving forward.
DS: In the US, teammates seem to have stronger rivalries with each other than in Japan, but you’re actively guiding and giving advice to the younger players. What’s your aim?
RM: Friendly rivalries are important, but younger players may not know what they need to do to succeed, both in baseball and in life in general. I’ve been here for 10 years now, so I think part of my job is to help the younger guys to develop.
DS: Do you want that to be part of your legacy with the Tigers?
RM: The baseball world is really unforgiving, so I’d like the younger players to be able to be like me and find success year after year. That’s why I work with them — to develop that sort of friendly rivalry so they can make it as long as I have.
DS: Do you feel like by setting aside time, you are sacrificing your own practice time? What do you get from it?
RM: No, it’s not a sacrifice. I actually learn from teaching the younger guys too, so I make sure to set aside that time. I want them to ask more questions, but maybe they get nervous around a veteran like me [laughs].
DS: Like, “come on, ask me more?”
RM: Well, it’s a team sport, so helping the younger players doesn’t just benefit them, but the team as a whole. Even just telling them one small thing may bring about a huge change for a player, and that affects the other players as well, so it’s really important.
DS: Tigers fans are intense. For example, if you start a batter off with two or three balls in a row, the fans start to get restless. How do you handle situations like that?
RM: The fans jeer when you’re losing, and they cheer when you’re winning. But when I’m on the mound, I’m concentrating so hard on the batter that I barely hear anything, so it doesn’t get to me.
DS: Carp fans seem to get behind their pitchers even after two or three balls.
RM: Well, whether it’s cheers or jeers, it’s just the ups and downs that come with having such intense feelings for the Tigers. It shows how much the fans love the team, so I understand those ups and downs. The fans pour their love into the team, so I want to live up to their expectations.
Translated by Jacob Dunlap