A press conference was held for Randy Messenger to make his retirement official. Here is much of the Q & A.
As he approached the podium, he looked at the media and said (in Japanese): OK, sayonara. Good work here today, people!
I’m Randy Messenger, #54 for the Hanshin Tigers. This is my last year of baseball. It’s crazy to think that I might not ever meet you all again. I’ve played baseball now for 21 years, 10 of them in Japan, and been through a lot. First and foremost, I want to give thanks to the team for this opportunity, as well as to everyone involved with the club. All my managers, coaches, the front office, trainers, team staff, teammates. A big shout out to all the catchers who caught my pitches all these years, too. I’m really not ready to retire, but when your body and arm tell you it’s time, it’s time to go, so obviously, now is my time. I also want to thank my wife, Venessa. Wow, I really didn’t think this was going to be so hard.
How do you feel, sitting at this table right now?
Like I said, it’s a lot tougher than I expected it to be. You always feel like this day is going to come, but you don’t expect when it actually happens.
Seems like you could still play longer. How did you reach this decision?
Well, it’s all the fans, you know. They’ve always shown me a lot of great support. I’ve met so many people recently, in the past week who’ve told me not to leave, to stay in Japan… to stay with the Tigers, to keep pitching. But like I said, when your arm and your body tell you it’s time, then it’s time to hang up the spikes.
Did you talk to anyone before deciding?
When I got home I talked to my wife, and decided on my own. Of course I talked to my body, too.
What was your wife’s reaction?
At first when I told my wife, she reacted just like the fans did. She couldn’t believe it. She’s seen me overcome a lot. We’ve been through a lot together.
Just two wins from 100 in Japan.
As you can see from my numbers, I won 98 and lost 84. There were 81 games in which I didn’t get the decision. When I think of it that way, if I’d just been able to win 2 of those 81… it’s really hard to take, but that’s baseball. Can’t do anything about it now. Obviously, my goal was to reach 100 this year, but my overall goal was to take over the all-time lead (117). I’m disappointed that I couldn’t do it.
What is the secret of your success?
From when I came to Japan, from the first day, I knew I had to just open my heart, respect the culture of my new country, and accept what I saw around me. I also listened to players who had already played here in Japan. Just put in an effort to open my mind, be flexible and respect the culture. That’s one of the big reasons.
What do you remember most?
The best memory is 2014, when we and the Giants went at it in the playoffs, and we beat them 4 straight in the Climax Series. But yeah, any time you could throw a complete game against your biggest rival, especially at Koshien… that was probably one of the best times. There were a lot of hard times too, especially last year when we finished in last.
Any thoughts about Koshien, where you stood on the mound for 10 years?
(At this point, Randy paused as his eyes filled with tears. At long last, he said…) It means a lot.
There was an ace named Gene Bacque 50 years ago…
He really meant a lot to me. He became a big fan of mine as well. He wanted me to break his record more than anyone else. He was a big part of my life. Bacque talked to us a lot, especially to my wife, and we really had a good relationship. After I started putting up some good numbers, the media focused again on what Bacque accomplished. Hopefully, Bacque’s family was also able to reflect on what amazing things he did as a player, too. I’m proud of having been part of his life, too.
Anything you want to impart to the young pitchers on this team?
There are a lot of good pitchers with a lot of good stuff. I’m going to keep pulling for them. All I can tell them is that if they work hard, good things will happen. Don’t set limits on what you can and can’t do, but keep pushing yourself as far as you can go, and practice hard. I’ve seen a lot of these guys since they were rookies, and I really hope they have good careers.
What’s your vision for your future?
It’s hard to imagine anything concrete, but for the time being, I want to give as much time to my wife and kids as I did playing baseball. I just want to enjoy my time with them.
Any words for the fans?
Obviously, like I said, the amount of support I’ve had from the fans here… just being able to put smiles on people’s faces because you play baseball for a living – it’s a pretty cool experience. I just want to thank them. I’m going to make one more mound appearance on September 29 in my retirement game. If you get the chance, come out to the ballpark and watch me throw my final pitches as a pro. I’ll try to make it a day you’ll remember for a long time.
Who did you gear up to face?
Hayato Sakamoto (Giants). He’s a great player, and every time I got to face him, I was definitely trying to outdo him. I always looked forward to facing him, but he put up good numbers on me. He’s a really good player and he hit me a lot. I was always excited, pumped up when I got to face him.