Tsuyoshi Wada (43), the “legend” of the NPB Softbank Hawks, who announced his retirement after 22 years of playing, revealed why he refused to retire.
Wada attended a retirement press conference held at Mizuho Paypay Dome, Softbank’s home stadium in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan, on the 5th and expressed his honest feelings.
“I didn’t decide (to retire) recently, I decided for a long time. It was after July (this year) that I was determined to some extent,” he said. “I threw while fighting shoulder pain for five years. I returned to the mound in 2019 without throwing in 2018 (a single game), and for five years, I pitched every season with the mindset of ‘I will quit if I can’t.'”
Wada, who joined the Daiei (currently Softbank) Hawks through the 2002 draft, debuted in the first division in 2003 and has played as a one-club man until this year. He played for Softbank for 18 years, except for the four seasons (2012-2015) when he challenged the Major League, recording 160 wins and 89 losses with a 3.18 ERA and 1,901 strikeouts in 2,099 ⅔ innings. Including his career in the Major League (5 wins and 5 losses with a 3.36 ERA in 21 games), he has achieved 165 wins overall.
On the reason why Wada did not announce his retirement during the season, Wada said, “I didn’t want to create an atmosphere where fans and players wanted to become Japan’s best (winning the Japan Series) for Wada. I failed to contribute to this year’s team, and it is everyone’s strength to win the championship (in the regular season). I thought I should not put my personal feelings into it. I hope everyone can play the climax series and the Japan Series on their own.”
Softbank topped the Pacific League overwhelmingly with 91 wins in 143 regular-season games (49 losses, 0.650), but won two games first against Yokohama DeNA BayStars in the Japanese Series, but lost four consecutive games and remained in second place.
Wada also mentioned the reason why the club rejected the retirement offer. “I am proud that I played in a serious manner for 22 years. When it comes to retirement games, I thought batters would get struck out. I don’t want to put that (not serious) one out into the out count that I took away from playing seriously for 22 years,” Wada said.
“I thought that the outcount could affect the record of a batter. I couldn’t do that, considering many things. As a player for 22 years, this is my last selfishness,” he said. “I can’t understand the situation where junior players don’t really compete to honor him, and the results affect his performance.” 스포츠토토
Instead, Wada said, “If it’s a trial game, even if I strike out positively, it doesn’t affect the performance of the batter, and I think I can strike out and finish it with a smile.” “I also received a proposal to have a retirement ceremony at a fan festival, and I asked them not to do that because it’s a day to thank the fans,” he said.
Looking back on his 22 years as a pro baseball player, Wada said, “I think it’s a baseball life without regrets and lingering attachments. As a rookie, I won a championship and had complete games and shutouts that I can never do now. I’ve experienced failures in the U.S., but nothing in my baseball career has been futile. I’m proud of that.”
As for his plans after retirement, he said, “Nothing has been decided. (The leader) is still lacking in study, so I don’t think it will be soon. If I study hard and get an offer when such a day comes, I want to be the right person and come back.”
