SoftBank Legend Koji Wada Reflects on Career, Mentions Common Ground with Wei-Yin Chen

SoftBank Hawks icon Koji Wada, invited to Taiwan for a joint "Hawks Festival" event with the Wei Chuan Dragons, expressed no regrets about his extensive two-decade career. The veteran pitcher, who achieved 160 wins in 334 Japanese professional baseball games, emphasized the importance of daily progress and setting future goals.

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From youth to 40 years old, I actually did the same thing. Imagine what you want to challenge in 10 or 20 years, and face your own every day. Tomorrow is more important than today, the day after tomorrow is more important than tomorrow. You have to improve every day.

Wada, who also played in the U.S. for the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs, shared his thoughts on his career longevity, noting he maintained the same training regimen from his youth into his 40s. He highlighted the mindset of continuous improvement, stating, "Tomorrow is more important than today, the day after tomorrow is more important than tomorrow. You have to improve every day."

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Chen is a great left-handed pitcher and a good person. Both he and I had a strong desire and awareness to challenge Major League Baseball at that time.

Reflecting on his time with the Orioles, Wada spoke about his former teammate, Taiwanese left-hander Wei-Yin Chen. "Chen is a great left-handed pitcher and a good person," Wada said. "Both he and I had a strong desire and awareness to challenge Major League Baseball at that time." He advised younger players to maintain that same upward ambition daily to better themselves.

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You have to maintain an upward mindset every day and make yourself better.