Randy Messenger arrived at Kansai International Airport late Friday night. This will be his seventh season with the club, tying him with all-time greats Gene Bacque and Jeff Williams for longest tenure with the team by a foreigner. Should he remain on for an eighth season, he would hold the mark by himself.
When he first joined the Tigers, he was still in his twenties. He’s used the airport countless times, but has already indicated that he wants to continue with the Tigers, saying, “It’s gone by really fast but I’ll do what I can to make sure I can do this again next year.”
He certainly has not lost his passion for the game, as he said he still wants to be the Opening Day pitcher: “If they give me the ball, I’m going to give it my all.”
He didn’t throw any bullpen sessions this offseason, saying he just played catch, but looking at him, he clearly put some work into getting into good shape.
His streak of 4 straight seasons reaching double digits in wins stopped last year (9-12, 2.97 ERA). Asked what his goals for this season were, he said, “I always say this, I don’t want to say anything specific.” But clearly he wants to put up big numbers.
We here at H-TEN are stoked to have Randy back, and hope 2016 is a year for the ages for the most reliable workhorse on the staff.