There aren't many pitchers in Japan who cut a more imposing figure on the mound than the Hanshin Tigers' Randy Messenger. There might not be any actually.
Messenger stands 198 cm and weighs 121 kg even though you'd swear those numbers didn't do him justice. He keeps his hat sitting low, which leaves a shadow across the top half of his face, adding another layer of mystery for batters waiting to see what pitch the powerful right-hander will deliver next.
"It's just how I am," Messenger says with a smile after his most recent victory over the Yomiuri Giants on Friday night at Tokyo Dome. "I always wore my hat that way, every since I was little. I just kept it going, and it just feels right. I just always liked my hat low. I didn't like my hat way up here on my forehead."