PEORIA, Ariz. – Kenji Johjima knows that once he takes the field Monday and catches his first pitch in a major league game, he’ll feel at ease.
Until then, he can sense the pressure building.
Johjima will become the first Japanese catcher to reach the majors, and he can’t ignore the nervousness that has built in the days leading to what will be a historic moment.
“Of course I feel pressure. Of course I get nervous,” he said. “But more than that, every year it’s the same pattern. Every opening day I have that feeling, and to me it’s a positive.”
Johjima signed a three-year, $16.5 million contract with the Mariners last November after playing 11 seasons for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Since the day he signed, Johjima has worked to familiarize himself with his new team, its pitchers, the opposition and the English language. Johjima is happy with the progress he has made in all facets of his transition.
“It’s something the people around me can say better than I can,” he said. “But I feel good now.”
Before he arrived in Arizona to start spring training, Johjima could only imagine what the major leagues would be like.
“Bu once games started in spring training, I found it was very similar to the baseball in Japan,” he said. “It’s still the same sport, it’s baseball. The pitcher throws, the catcher catches. The advice I give to the pitchers is the same, too.”
The language issue, one of the biggest concerns when Johjima began spring training, has become a non-issue. He spent time after each bullpen session and between every inning talking with the pitchers to learn the how their pitches move and when they like to throw them, plus the keys to their mechanics.
“I wasn’t frustrated with the language over here,” Johjima said. “I would just go to the mound and say what I had to say.”
Monday, Johjima will accomplish a dream by playing his first major league game. It’s a moment he has worked long and hard to reach.
“From the first of February, when I came to Arizona, I have felt the same way,” he said. “I have prepared for opening day. I will be ready.”
Carl’s world: Carl Everett was a model citizen at spring training, wearing a smile and carrying cordial conversations with anyone with an ear to listen. It’s a dramatic change from the Everett many fans and players have known for his intensity.
Monday, when the games are played for real, Everett says his emotional edge will return.
“These games (in spring training) are kind of meaningless,” he said. “But there’s a difference when the bell rings.
“I’ve never liked spring training. Spring training is to get the pitchers ready for the season. But I know what it takes to go out and perform. I’m out to win. I’m not their friend once we’re playing against each other.”
Influence of Eddie: It may seem that closer Eddie Guardado is fueled by adrenaline when he prepares to pitch. What the fans don’t see, fellow reliever J.J. Putz said, is how he prepares long before the bullpen gate swings open and Guardado trots onto the field.
“People may think he’s always joking around, but when a game gets into the sixth inning, he turns it (the intensity) on,” Putz said. “He’s got a routine that gets himself ready.
“The one thing he stresses to all of us is that you’ve got to have a routine, from the moment you wake up in the morning. That way, maybe you can trick yourself into thinking, ‘I feel good today’ when you really don’t. I’m sure there are days when he doesn’t feel that good, but you’ll never know. He’s a competitor.”
Ransom money: The Mariners sold infielder Cody Ransom to the Houston Astros for cash considerations.
Ransom, who played last year in the Cubs organization, signed as a minor-league free agent in the offseason. He played well defensively in camp at third base, shortstop and second base, but batted .219.
Of note: Joel Pineiro’s final spring start wasn’t exactly glorious. He gave up 10 hits and seven runs, including five in the second inning in the Mariners’ 8-2 loss to the Padres. Putz, as he’d done all month, pitched a perfect inning. Guardado surrendered two hits, a walk and a run in his final spring inning. … Mariners pitcher Jarrod Washburn, who will start Wednesday night against the Angels, stayed in Peoria and will pitch today in a minor-league game. … Left-handed reliever George Sherrill pitched one inning in a minor league game Thursday and said he felt great. Sherrill hadn’t pitched in more than a week because of shoulder stiffness. … Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and several of his Seattle Seahawks teammates will take part in the first-pitch ceremony before Monday’s opener. The baseball used in the ceremony will have spent a month-long journey to Seattle that started in spring training in Peoria and made stops in Portland, Spokane, Wenatchee, Pullman, Bellingham, Olympia and Seattle. … Pregame festivities will start at 1:30 p.m. and include 8-year-old Jeffery Baker in the annual first run around the bases, Ichiro Suzuki receiving his fifth consecutive Gold Glove award and, weather permitting, a fly-over by four EA-6B Prowler jets from Naval Air Station Whidbey.
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