Randy Messenger will be back with his former Seattle Mariners battery mate Kenji Jojima as the Hanshin Tigers on Thursday announced the acquisition of the right-handed reliever.
Messenger has signed a one-year, $600,000 deal with the Japanese club after spending most of the 2009 season with Triple-A Tacoma and going 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA in 12 games for the Mariners.
Senior Tigers official Shoji Numazawa revealed that Jojima strongly recommended the front office to sign the 28-year-old Messenger.
Hanshin signed Jojima to a four-year, 2 billion yen contract this offseason after he opted out of the final two years of his three-year deal with the Mariners.
''We hope Messenger will take the place of (Scott) Atchison as a middle reliever,'' said Numazawa. Atchison left Hanshin last month and joined the Boston Red Sox earlier this week.
He spent 2005-06 with the Florida Marlins before splitting the 2007 season between the Marlins and the San Francisco Giants. He joined the Mariners in 2008.
Messenger said he had learned a lot from Jojima while playing in the major leagues and is honored to form a battery with him again.
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