Ladies and gentlemen welcome to H-TEN, Hanshin Tigers English News. I’ve got a very special guest for the first time ever. We’re so excited! We’ve been trying for ages to make this happen. A great star for the Hanshin Tigers in the 1990s and then a coach in two separate decades for our Tigers and an invaluable piece of Tigers history. Mr. Tom O’Malley, thanks for joining us today on the show.

Tom O’Malley (TO): Oh, you got it! Anytime you need me! I’m always a Hanshin Tiger. We bleed Hanshin Tiger colors.

We appreciate that so much Tom. And you’re looking good. How are you doing?

TO: Feeling good. I don’t know, I might be able to throw in a base hit here or there. I’m staying active. I’m helping some kids, coaching older kids, younger kids and actually coaching a girls’ softball team. That particular group went to the Little League World Series a few years ago. We have some good players, and hopefully the coach won’t screw it up, right?

Well, given his track record, I’m pretty sure that the girls are in good hands. Whatever team you’re coaching has a good man on their side. So let’s talk a little bit about your baseball past and I want to go all the way back to your childhood. Do you remember your first encounter with baseball and what attracted you to the sport?

TO: I think I was probably, according to what my father tells me, around two years old and playing wiffle ball. That’s how it got started. I tried to play all sports and I enjoyed all sports, but it seemed like baseball came easier to me for whatever reason, and obviously, that was my true love. I started at an early age and just took a liking to it and kept playing it each and every year. It’s the one sport you don’t have to be a particular size and you can have some natural ability, good hand-eye coordination. Football, obviously, you gotta be big and strong, and other sports as well. But baseball, you can certainly hone your skills and you don’t have to be a specific specimen.

I think the eyes and the mind are the great equalizer in baseball. I mean, there’s certain things that might eliminate you from becoming a basketball player or a soccer player but with baseball, if you’ve got good eyes and a good mind you can set yourself apart from the pack just with that.

TO: Exactly. In baseball, you have to have good hand-eye coordination. You know, in soccer, it’s more foot-eye coordination. But I think in any sport, somebody reaches their maximum potential or success when the body and the mind are working together. Physically, a lot of people have really good tools and good skill sets, but your mind has to work together with it. And once that happens, you’re gonna see consistency and maximum success. 

So you made your way up to the majors and played for the Mets for a while. But for one reason or another, you weren’t able to make a full career out of Major League Baseball. Do you think there was something in particular that prevented that from happening?

TO: I mean, obviously, it’s very difficult to get to the major leagues. I went through the minor league system pretty quickly. And I was the youngest player in the National League in 1982. I got called up, I was doing real well in AAA… I think I had a 26 game hitting streak. Then one of the players got hurt, so they moved the third baseman to first and then I came up played third base and got off to a really good start in the major leagues as well. I played every day for a couple of years. But there’s so much competition, and then I became more of a part-time player. My last team was the Mets in 1990, and there had been interest  from the Japanese leagues prior, but I just thought it was the right opportunity at that time because I wanted to play every day again and they gave me the opportunity for that to happen and things went pretty well and I ended up playing for six years over in Japan.

So how did that all come about? Through your agent? Did you need to put it past your family and see how they what they thought about it? What was your situation coming into Japan?

TO: Yeah, I was with the Mets and the Tigers went through my agent and said they were interested. The biggest thing is, you have to be in the right frame of mind. Earlier, it seemed like foreigners that were established in the major leagues were playing in Japan at the end of their careers. But once I was in Japan, it was more about prolonging their careers, and maybe even come back to play in the Major Leagues. The level of play in Japan is so good, the competition is good. So they were interested in me because there are more right-handed pitchers in Japan that throw a lot of breaking balls that come in on left-handed hitters. And you look at a lot of the foreign players, the good ones, and they hit the ball well to the opposite field. Those are the ones that have success in Japan. Even if the guys are right-handed hitters, they can hit that breaking ball to right-center. They’re not strictly pull hitters. Left-handed hitters have to be able to go the other way, whether it’s fork balls or sliders. Their offspeed pitches, as you know, are very, very effective and they’ll throw you anything in any count. So that’s why they look for contact hitters and a good on-base percentage. I was able to put balls in play and found some holes and it really worked out. I was very fortunate to play with the Tigers to start. I really enjoyed playing there. The fans… Hanshin Tigers fan wa ichibanya! Nothing like the Tigers fans!

You came to Japan at the start of 1991. Do you remember getting off the airplane or landing in Japan? What were your first thoughts of Japan?

TO: That’s a great question. I had talked to some people that were ex-teammates, like Larry Parrish and some other players had played with the Tigers. So, I knew the team was struggling at the time, I was aware of that. But, when I got on the plane, it was like, OK, here we go. I mean, obviously, it’s not like you can come home for the weekend… but it’s how you handle things. You’re going to another country and you have to learn another culture. And I just wanted to be able to fit in and learn something every day. I knew if I adapted to the culture and did well with baseball, that things would work out. Once I got off that plane, you know how it goes. They have the press conference right away. I think the first question I was asked was, “What do you think Japan?” I was like, “Mr. Baseball, remember?” And I thought it was kind of facetious… I just arrived! Give me a little bit more of a chance to see the surroundings and take it in! I really, really respect the people in Japan and love the country. It’s so clean and I love the food and the energetic fans. I was so glad that I made the decision to come to Japan and I was really blessed to start my career there with the Tigers.

Do you remember your first spring training in 1991 and what you thought of that time? How did you feel about spring training?

TO: Yeah, I remember we started February 1, which was a little earlier than we do in the United States, and I know that they kind of critique the new foreigners early. So we had an intrasquad game and I think I got a hit, and then in my first exhibition game, I hit a grand slam. I’ll never forget that. And it seemed like from that point on, they just let me go. And they said, “Well, if he did that this early, maybe he can adapt and adjust to the style of play here.” So I was very fortunate that I got off to a good start in spring training. And then in the first game of the year against Yokohama, I hit a two run homer, so that helped as well. I got off to a good start once the regular season started, and just continued from there. I was fortunate to have four really good years with the Tigers.

It makes a big difference to start hot.

TO: Well, I’ve seen where they’re relentless to guys that struggle early. They only give them a certain amount of at-bats, or they’ll label people that they can or can’t do this. So I was very lucky that that grand slam happened. I remember it was against Seibu. I think it was my second at-bat. We ended up winning the game too, so they liked that. Like I said, they kind of left me alone from that point on.

in your first season, I think Koshien Stadium still had the Lucky Zone. Is that right?  And then they broke it down that offseason. What are your thoughts on the removal of the Lucky Zone. How did you feel about having it there in the first place?

TO: It was kind of tradition, having that Lucky Zone. Obviously, for hitters, it’s a little shorter to hit home runs there. But with our team, the next year, we had a good pitching staff. And that was the year that we were competing with the Swallows (for the pennant), and took it right down to the end there. Unfortunately, we came up a little short… but the removal of the Lucky Zone actually helped our team at that time. Because we didn’t have a really good hitting team, so we didn’t take advantage of the Lucky Zone. But I liked the Lucky Zone because you didn’t have to hit it as far. But depending on the team and the makeup, it can be an asset or it could work against you. 

In recent years, there have been some rumblings about bringing it back, at least in right field because of the hamakaze, the winds coming off of the sea. Would you be for that?

TO: Yeah, I would. I mean, remember, once you get to summer there, you really have to hit a ball hard because the wind there makes it difficult. You see balls going out more to center or left, but then maybe in September, the ball starts going out to right a little bit more. I remember hitting some balls in the air good, and that wind would knock it down. So maybe that Lucky Zone will bring some good luck back to the Tigers.

So your entire time with the Tigers, you had Nakamura as the manager, and then you played under Nomura with the Swallows. What are your thoughts of playing under these two? 

TO: Yeah, Nakamura was my first manager there. He did things a little differently. It was more Japanese-style and I think Nomura used the major league style and intertwined it with the Japanese style. He was a thinking manager, and it was like we had another player on the field in Nomura. I really enjoyed playing for him. He definitely had a good mind, but I liked playing for Nakamura as well. But it seemed like Nomura was a little more experienced. We never had to worry. It seemed like he always would make the right calls. But it was definitely a contrast in managers and their styles. But I was glad that I played for both.

Obviously, it paid off having Nomura with the Swallows because you guys won it all in 1995 Share a little bit about that experience, moving to a new team and winning the Japan Series in that first year.

TO: Yeah, that was really an exciting year. We had a lot of good Japanese players: Furuta, Ikeyama, Iida. We were established on the Japanese player side. I remember we had (Terry) Bross and (Hensley) Meulens. We had some good foreign players as well, but it just seemed like we had a deep team, good pitching, we were balanced and a good hitting team. From the start to the end, we basically controlled the Central League. I remember beating the Giants (to clinch the pennant), as Hideki Matsui flew out to center field. Then we got to the Series and we ended up beating Ichiro. So we certainly did very well, but we had a talented team, there’s no doubt. I knew from spring training, which we actually did in Arizona that year, that we had a talented team. I think we were the better team that year to win the Series. And those guys had experience in the Japan Series and they had won before, so they knew what it was like. With the Tigers, when we got close in ‘92, we had never really been in that situation. We had a lot of younger players and they needed to gain more experience, because once you’ve been in those situations, it becomes a lot easier.

So one of the younger players on the ‘92 squad was Tsuyoshi Shinjo, centerfielder. What was it like playing with him? Did you guys get to interact quite a bit? What was it like watching him as a young up-and-comer at the time?

TO: He was very, very talented. He had a lot of natural ability but at that time, he was real raw, real young. I think the biggest thing that stood out was his arm. He had a tremendous arm from centerfield. He was certainly quite the character back then. He had some good years with the Tigers and my understanding is that now he’s managing up there in northern Japan. I’m not sure how the team is doing but there was never a dull moment with Shinjo, that’s for sure. He was entertaining on the field and off the field and I think he still is, right?

Absolutely. And he also got to play under Nomura as manager in his final years with the Tigers. But there’s a sharp contrast between Nomura’s management style and Shinjo’s management style. Do you think that there’s a place in baseball for both of those styles: the flamboyant style and the more traditional, thinking style? What are your thoughts about Shinjo being successful as manager of the Fighters?

TO: Well, again, the players make you look good or make you look bad. And as a manager, you have to put the players in the right spot. So I think if he has the right players, he certainly could win. But it was some of the closer games where Nomura won, by putting the right players in the right place. As a manager, that’s all you can do. And sometimes they make you look good or bad. So I think if he is dealt some good players, then certainly, they could make a run there and be very competitive. But it’s probably a more relaxed style of managing. I’d say knowing how Nomura-san was so disciplined, kind of old school, maybe Shinjo is a little different. But you know, just from knowing him, I’m not sure how he manages, but I would think that he’s a little more easygoing. I don’t know if he’s doing any stunts, coming into the stadium in certain ways or whatever. I mean, the man has showmanship.

At last year’s home opener, he flew in on a giant drone.

TO: That sounds like him!

And I wonder what he’s gonna do this spring when they open their new park. He’s probably got something up his sleeve for Opening Day.

TO: It’s gotta be a dome, right?

No it’s not, but it’s got a retractable roof. It’s going to be open air. It looks absolutely gorgeous. So if you get a chance to come to Japan, you’ll have to head up there and check out a game, preferably in summer when it’s warmer.

TO: Well, yeah, when it’s warm in Kansai, and then certainly up in Sapporo. It’s beautiful up there in summertime. The Sapporo Dome is not that old, right? 

Twenty years, I think. 

TO: It’s amazing how after 20 years, all of a sudden (they get a new ballpark). They’re doing the same thing in the states, where 20-year stadiums are outdated or antiquated. They continue building beautiful stadiums. But they just keep upgrading Koshien, right?

They’re never going to rebuild that stadium.

TO: That’ll never go anywhere. It had better not! There’s too much tradition there. I mean, anytime you get Babe Ruth playing there and a lot of other big names, that stadium’s got to stay right there.

Well, there’s talk of possibly breaking down your other old home stadium, Jingu, which a lot of fans are completely irate about. They’re thinking about rebuilding a different stadium there and redeveloping that into a completely different kind of commercial area. What are your thoughts on Jingu Stadium?

TO: I would like to see it remain as well. I mean, I obviously have some great memories there. I heard maybe because of the Olympics, that they were talking about that (destroying Jingu) too, but the traditionalists want to see it remain. But there comes a time when maybe you need to upgrade and start fresh. But that was a great place to play and I really enjoyed my time there.

Let’s talk about management again. I read an article that said that back in 2004-05 when the BlueWave and the Buffaloes merged, and they were looking to expand or bring in a new franchise, there was a competition, if you will, a bidding war between Rakuten, who got the franchise, and Livedoor. I heard that you were actually slated to be the manager of the team if Livedoor had won. Is that true?

TO: It’s actually true. I was actually hired as the manager. But then Rakuten ended up winning it and, I forgot his name, but the (Livedoor) owner ended up going to prison! But they he hired me and the general manager just in case, but Tao ended up getting the manager’s job for Rakuten. I was honored and humbled to be named the manager back then. And we were talking about how we might try to assemble the team, and that would have been a heck of a challenge, and I would have looked forward to it. But unfortunately, Livedoor came up a little short, but who knows, maybe someday I’ll get the opportunity to manage in Japan. 

That’d be pretty　sweet. Now there have been foreigners, maybe not in NPB recently, but… I think Ralph Bryant is up in Hokkaido in one of the independent leagues, doing some managing there and he had a solid career here in Japan as well.

TO: Oh, he did. He had unbelievable power, and he’s just a good human being. So it’s nice that he’s back in Japan. And that’s our home away from home. We had a lot of fond memories. And, you know, and if you did things the right way, and Ralph did, he deserves that chance. Bobby Valentine also had a lot of success. There’s been success there for (foreign) managers, but it all depends on the organization and what direction they’d like to go.

Speaking of good memories in Japan, let’s go back to your time with the Tigers once again. Can you think back on any particular game or season that will always stick in your memory?

TO: There were a lot of good memories. I liked the pennant race that we had in ’92 with the Swallows, I mean, the stadium was full every day. I mean, that happens regardless, but… we would lose a game, they would lose too. We just couldn’t make that play or that pitch when we needed it and just came up a little short. But that to me was one of the better memories. I really enjoyed playing in a pennant race. And then there was winning the batting title the following year. I mean, I don’t like to point out individual achievements, but that was certainly a big thrill for me. But I met a lot of great people that really took good care of me, and I have nothing but fond memories and good things to say about the Tigers and their personnel and management.

One of the things that I’ve always been curious about is the CD release of you singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “Rokko Oroshi.” Some of the fans might know the story of how this went down but I don’t! I would love to hear it from your perspective.

TO: It was after my first year, so it must have been 1992. MBS (Mainichi Broadcast System)… I don’t know if she’s still on the air or not. Miki Takai was her name. (Editorial note: Miki Takai passed away suddenly on January 25, 2023, at the age of 55. Rest in Peace.) And what happened was, they approached me about doing a CD with a translation from Japanese to English: “Way to swing the bat,” “Way to hit the ball,” so people could learn English terminology. I said, “Yeah, no problem.” Then one thing led to another, and they wanted me to sing, Rokko Oroshi. And I was limited on the amount of language that I knew at the time, and I can’t sing as it is. And then I had to sing in Japanese, which was even tougher. Then they asked me to sing the Star Spangled Banner, and one thing kept leading to another… But the Japanese fans were very kind, they didn’t mind that I couldn’t sing and it sold a heck of a lot of copies. I’m not sure the total amount. But all I know is I remember going to Tower Records in New York CIty in the offseason, and there it was, the CD was in New York City. I tried to show my personality over there and I think the Japanese fans really appreciated that. That’s all part of going to a new place. You gotta adjust. I know a lot of foreign players that go over there, and unfortunately, they’re not able to do that. But the ones that have had success have that adaptability. It was kind of ironic how well it took off. I don’t know if you ever recall, but there used to be shows here in the United States that if somebody couldn’t sing, they would be gonged. And that’s what I kept saying… I would have been gonged. But yeah, it really became a big hit, that O’Malley’s Dynamic English. That was a thrill, but you know, I did anything they wanted me to do. I would always go out of my way. And I think they really appreciated it. I tried to show Japanese fans as much class as possible. 

I remember on a TV show about four or five years back, they came to visit you in the states, and asked you to re-record or something… or am I imagining things?

TO: Yeah, it was Kameyama. He came back. He was in a Little League World Series as a manager out of Osaka. He came back, and where I coach is right in that same area, so we took him back. There was a video where, when I was playing in Japan, he took the little league team from Osaka to my house here locally. We went on a station there and I ended up singing. The more I sang, the easier it became. There were a couple times I was flown to Japan just to sing Rokko Oroshi on television stations there. It got pretty big and I never expected it to get to that point, but it was a lot of fun. No doubt.

Then from 2002-03 and 2014-16, you came back to the Tigers as a hitting coach. We talked about this last time that we spoke, but what do you feel were your biggest contributions to the team during those years as hitting coach?

TO: Well, experience from playing. I think Hoshino was the one that started giving me the opportunity, knowing that I could help the foreign players. He knew that I had success as a player and I could pass on some of that wisdom or knowledge to the foreign players. George Arias was already in Japan (when I became coach). But I helped him hit the ball more all over the field. And just having another set of eyes watching him on a daily basis and helping him see what he might be doing right or wrong. He had a huge year. All the foreign players did well that year: Trey Moore and Valdez. It really worked out in 2003. We signed Jeff Williams too, and he had a huge year and had some great years in Japan. So there were a lot of good things that came about from it. Hoshino was like the pioneer, bringing a foreign coach over and knowing how productive that could be. Then I came over later on, too. But I scouted after that first time, sending players over: Vogelsong and some of the other guys that I had signed, but also, with George or with (Mauro) Gomez and Matt Murton… Murton did real well, winning a batting title, and Gomez had some good years. They were just consistent and obviously, when the foreign players do well, the Tigers do well. That’s what you need… and Randy Messenger had some big years. I was fortunate to sign him as well. So hitting-wise we’re looking for those consistent foreign hitters, but I was fortunate to help those guys and they did really well. 

Do you think that it would benefit the team to have a foreigner on staff in a similar role to what you had back in the day? Do you think that this should be something that is a constant with the team? What are your thoughts on that?

TO: I really do. I mean, that would really benefit the foreign players, just to have somebody to talk to. I went through the same thing, and every foreign player goes through similar situations. Things come up, whether it’s family-related, or things that you don’t realize, and you have to be able to get through things. Also, helping them on the field. Basically, I was their manager, even though the manager was Wada at the time for Gomez and Murton. Still, they came to me, and we had really good communication. I tried to get the most out of each of them and I would say we were pretty successful with that. They did very well as opposed to just “having potential” or, “this guy looks like he may do well in Japan.” There’s there’s no guarantees, but I would strongly recommend that the Tigers go back to that, where they bring somebody in to help the foreign players. There’s no doubt that helps them out.

One of the coaches, while you were also coach, was Okada. He’s the returning manager now with the Tigers. Any thoughts on the 2023 Tigers? How much are you following the team from back home these days?

TO: Well, Okada and I were teammates when I first came to Japan, and he was a coach when I was coaching with Hoshino. Of course, he managed Orix as well. I follow the Tigers. I can lean on people like yourself to help me out with some good stuff, but I still talk to a lot of people that work with the organization and try to find out how things are going. I’m always a Tigers fan and always pulling for them to have as much success as possible. And they always used to say, when the Tigers do well, the economy does well, because a lot of people purchase stuff. The Tigers fans certainly assist the economy, that’s for sure. So that’s a good thing where I think everybody’s happy when the Kansai area is happy. Now, last year, Orix won it, right? Did they win it the year before, too?

They won the Pacific but they lost in the Japan series to the Swallows in 2021.

TO: Yeah. And then last year, the Swallows lost, right? I understand there’s a lot of good prospects, certainly one on the Swallows. Couple of good pitchers that we got to keep our eyes on here. There are always a lot of good prospects. It’s just a matter of who wants to come over (to MLB). I certainly like to follow the Japanese players when they come to the United States, and it seems like the pitchers have really done well. Obviously, Mr. Ohtani, the sky’s the limit with his ability. They’re saying Fujinami was a good hitting pitcher, but I don’t think he’s in the class of Ohtani, that’s for sure.

No, not at all. So, I’m assuming you’re gonna be watching some World Baseball Classic coming up next month.

TO: Oh, there’s no doubt. Yeah. I mean, matter of fact, they (MLB players) report a little later and pitchers and catchers are just starting camp here in the United States. But yeah, it’ll be fun. It seems like most of the better players are playing, and that’s what will make it really competitive. Because some years, they’re not ready or they may have some kind of existing injury or something. I know the Japanese team will be ready, that’s for sure. And they’re getting a boost from Ohtani-san being there, too. I know the US has a solid team. So there’s a lot of competition around the world and it should make for an unbelievable tournament. The Japanese have won it what, one time or twice?

Twice. They won in ‘06 and ‘09.

TO: When Ichiro was there, and I also remember in San Diego, I think they won it. So I know they’re gonna be right in the thick of things. Also, Hensley is coaching one of the teams, Curacao, the Dutch Antilles. He’s the manager, Meulens, my old Swallows teammate. I certainly will be a fan. And I’m rooting for the US and Japan in the final 

That would make it a true World Baseball Classic, if that were to happen.

TO: That would be a classic, no doubt. And with the types of players that Japan have there, they’re gonna be a force to be reckoned with, that’s for sure.

Definitely. Well, Tom, it’s been a real pleasure talking to you today. One last thing. As you might have heard, the Hanshin Tigers this year are not using the word yusho to talk about their goals for the season. They’re using the word are, which kind of means “that” so it’s kind of a code word. I’m wondering if you could give a shout-out to the team and to the fans. Just say something like, アレとりましょう or アレがんばりましょう or something like that?

TO: Yeah, アレがんばりましょう! that’s it. Tigers がんばって！2023年がんばって！Aクラスお願いします！