Envy envy - personal interpreter/buddy for a baseball player
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Edward Potter
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Spain
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Spanish to English
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Jul 19, 2015

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111903596904576514683404636782

Life of a Baseball Interpreter
By Brian Costa
August 18, 2011

SAN DIEGO—Eighteen months have passed since Ryota Igarashi left Japan and joined the Mets' bullpen. And during that time, almost nothing has gone as planned.

The general manager who
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http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111903596904576514683404636782

Life of a Baseball Interpreter
By Brian Costa
August 18, 2011

SAN DIEGO—Eighteen months have passed since Ryota Igarashi left Japan and joined the Mets' bullpen. And during that time, almost nothing has gone as planned.

The general manager who signed him is gone. The Japanese reporters who once tracked his every move have largely disappeared. And the Mets have long since abandoned the hope that he can be an effective, late-inning reliever.
Ryota Igarashi ENLARGE
Ryota Igarashi Associated Press

As Igarashi approaches the end of his two-year contract, the only remaining constant is the man by his side.

Mike Peters is Igarashi's interpreter, a job that comes with a locker in the Mets' clubhouse and a seat in the bullpen. When Igarashi communicates with American coaches, front-office officials and reporters, he does so largely through Peters.

But Peters has done far more than translate words for Igarashi. He has also helped guide him through a meandering journey that has included several demotions to and call-ups from the minors and a lonely rehabilitation stint in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Among the many tasks that have come with Peters's job: giving Igarashi minor English lessons at Starbucks; finding the good restaurants in each city the Mets travel to; and shepherding him through airports.

He is part intLife of a Baseball Interpreter
By Brian Costa
August 18, 2011

SAN DIEGO—Eighteen months have passed since Ryota Igarashi left Japan and joined the Mets' bullpen. And during that time, almost nothing has gone as planned.

The general manager who signed him is gone. The Japanese reporters who once tracked his every move have largely disappeared. And the Mets have long since abandoned the hope that he can be an effective, late-inning reliever.
Ryota Igarashi ENLARGE
Ryota Igarashi Associated Press

As Igarashi approaches the end of his two-year contract, the only remaining constant is the man by his side.

Mike Peters is Igarashi's interpreter, a job that comes with a locker in the Mets' clubhouse and a seat in the bullpen. When Igarashi communicates with American coaches, front-office officials and reporters, he does so largely through Peters.

But Peters has done far more than translate words for Igarashi. He has also helped guide him through a meandering journey that has included several demotions to and call-ups from the minors and a lonely rehabilitation stint in Port St. Lucie, Fla.erpreter, part personal assistant, part traveling companion. Only a year apart in age—Igarashi is 32; Peters is about to turn 31—the two have become good friends.
Mike Peters has been Ryota Igarashi's interpreter since the reliever joined the Mets. ENLARGE
Mike Peters has been Ryota Igarashi's interpreter since the reliever joined the Mets. Marc Levine/Mets

"I feel like he's an older brother to me," Peters said. "Although I'm not the guy on the field, when he's pitching, I feel like I'm the guy that's pitching. If he has a good game, I feel awesome. If he has a bad day out there, I feel like I got roughed up."

From a baseball standpoint, Peters's most important role is as a bridge between Igarashi and coaches. When pitching coach Dan Warthen goes over hitters' tendencies in group meetings before the first game of every series, Peters takes detailed notes. When the game begins, he sits with Igarashi in the bullpen, translating his notes as each hitter comes to the plate.

Away from the ballpark, Igarashi said the two try to give each other space. His English is decent enough that he can go food shopping or order at a restaurant on his own.

"We're not stuck together all the time," Igarashi said through Peters. "We don't eat together all the time. Sometimes I go with teammates if he's not around. Sometimes we eat together. If we were glued together, both of us would get tired."

But there are times when Igarashi needs an interpreter, a driver or just a friend. During a 24-hour period on June 15 and 16, Peters was all three.

Igarashi was pitching for Triple-A Buffalo, which had an off day, so they decided to take a day trip to Toronto. When they got there, Igarashi felt writhing pain in one of his teeth. So Peters called the Mets, made an appointment with the team dentist in Manhattan the next morning, drove Igarashi to Buffalo, checked out of their hotel and drove overnight to New York.

After Igarashi got a root canal, the two of them were set to fly from Newark to Norfolk, Va., where Buffalo was playing that night. But after hitting traffic, they arrived at the airport too late to return the rental car and make their flight. So Peters dropped off Igarashi at the terminal, texted him the words to tell airline employees to check in, and then drove to Virginia on his own.

"It's just things like that, where it's not in your job description, but you want to do it because you want him to have every possible shot of succeeding," Peters said.

Peters, who is half American and half Japanese, grew up a Mets fan in Westchester. In 2003, while working as a production assistant at ESPN, he met former Mets manager Bobby Valentine, who put him in touch with Isao O'Jimi, the Mets' Pacific Rim scout.

He saw an interpreting job as a way to break into baseball, but it wasn't until early 2010, as he was finishing graduate school in Japan, that the Mets called.

He met Igarashi over dinner in Tokyo in February 2010, just to make sure they would be comfortable with each other. A week later, they were on their way to Florida for spring training. Except for the offseason, they've spent about every day together since.

On the mound, though, Igarashi stands alone. By any measure, he has been a disappointment. The Mets signed him to a $3 million contract with the hope that he would be their setup man in 2010. But he has been a marginal reliever at best. He entered Wednesday with a combined ERA of 6.23 in 2010 and 2011.

Warthen said the scouting report on Igarashi was that he threw his fastball in the range of 95 to 97 mph and could throw strikes. But he did not come as advertised. His velocity has been more in the low 90s, and Warthen said he had "no concept" of how to attack hitters.

Igarashi said he is more comfortable this season, both culturally and on the mound. And his numbers are markedly better. He entered Wednesday with a 4.98 ERA, down from 7.12 in 2010, and said he puts less pressure on himself. "Even being booed feels comfortable now," he said.

But Warthen said Igarashi still gets "over-amped" late in games. In the eighth inning Sunday in Phoenix, he allowed a single, hit one batter and walked two others to force in a run, all without recording an out.

"At times, I think he's a totally different pitcher," Warthen said. "And then at times, he reverts back to being the guy that jerks his head and throws as hard as he can without any idea of where he's throwing the baseball."

Igarashi's chances of remaining with the Mets beyond this year appear slim, which means he and Peters are coming to a crossroads. Peters said he is torn: He enjoys working with Igarashi, but also wants a more stable job in baseball. The prospect of being unemployed until Igarashi lands with another team frightens him.

When asked if he would want Peters to follow him to another team, Igarashi said, "I'll fire him." Then he smiled. "Of course," he said, "I'd like to take Mike with me."
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Envy envy - personal interpreter/buddy for a baseball player







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