Greetings, dear reader. After three difficult weeks, I am thrilled to be back here. My first week of the year was quite busy, and I had a lot to do at home. Then, I was hit by a terrible flu from which I have not yet recovered. I have been remembering my maternal grandmother every day because when I had a cold or the flu, she always cured my discomfort with her “magic potions.” That is what I called the incomparable infusions my grandmother prepared for me. I am feeling much better now and hope to return to my usual rhythm here.
As you have probably heard, there has been some big news in these last three weeks. The most recent story was the induction into the Hall of Fame of Japanese Ichiro Suzuki, and pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner. I wanted to dedicate a few words to the great Ichiro, who received 393 of 394 votes, 99.75%, a nearly unanimous vote. So, well, the big question of the moment is who didn’t vote for Ichiro. And above all, I think we are plagued by doubts about what his arguments were. Either way, even if he didn't achieve unanimity, Ichiro was a legend who allowed us to enjoy an incredible story of overcoming in baseball.
His legacy is indelible, and he doesn't need a percentage to get to Cooperstown, where he rightfully belongs.
Ichiro arrived in the Major Leagues in 2001 and quickly conquered the baseball world. His singular brilliance caused a sensation in many ways. Watching Ichiro hit became a regular sight in baseball. The expectations began even shortly before he approached the plate. Ichiro would raise his bat with his right hand, pointing in the direction of the pitcher. Then, everything was set to enjoy the most anticipated moment, watching Ichiro try to hit the ball.
Sometimes it seemed like no one could stop Ichiro's swing from hitting the ball, even if it was just to survive at the plate. He wore down pitchers and kept infielders guessing. In any given count, Ichiro was able to bunt the ball and drop a surprise hit in an awkward enough spot to get to first base in time.
The next moment filled with expectation and stress for pitchers came when Ichiro was on base. Ichiro stole 509 bases in his MLB career. He was caught stealing only 107 times, which brings us to an 81% success rate. In his nine seasons in NPB, his percentage was 85%, which brings his career percentage to 83%. But the big point here is what the stats can't tell us: Ichiro's level of cunning, decisiveness, and baserunning ability. Ichiro wasn't just a great stealer when he decided to reach one more base. He was also a great baserunner who didn't allow defensive errors.
That same ability to reach extra bases was probably part of the experience that forged Ichiro into one of the game's most defensive outfielders. His ability to read fly balls was uncanny, as was the speed with which he learned the fundamentals of fielding in every major league ballpark. Ichiro had one unique trait that he carried throughout his game, and that was that he would play the odds. He would often surprise by throwing to third to throw out a runner instead of throwing to home plate. Those kinds of plays were often criticized. But over time, Ichiro's shrewdness proved that he was doing the right thing. The Japanese game is exquisite in that level of detail.
Sometimes it's not the norm in Major League Baseball, but Ichiro's effectiveness proved effective. Many times, when there was no high probability of putting a runner out at the home plate, Ichiro chose to prevent another runner from reaching an extra base. The result was astonishing, as he surprised many runners on the bases. Every day, his play became an unmatched contribution to the team in every sense.
Ichiro led the league twice in assists as a right fielder, but what made the difference was his talent to define each play. I can still remember some of his epic plays and the incredible throws to bases that put a lot of runners out. So Ichiro's magic to enchant us was not only in his bat. It was in everything he brought to his game, in his style, and in his determination to play baseball.
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And all of that was fascinating from his first year when he won the American League MVP, was Rookie of the Year, won a Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger. His debut was a sensation: He led the 2001 Mariners to a major league-record-tying 116 wins. He won the batting title (.350) and led the majors in hits (242) and stolen bases (56). Ichiro's lowest batting average in his debut was .268 over 121 plate appearances in July. But he then came back in August, hitting .429 in 130 plate appearances. After a dream first half of the season, slashing .345/.377/.472, Ichiro surprised by hitting .356/.388/.438 in the second half of the season. He repeated his 28 stolen bases from the first half of the season and raised his BABIP from .356 to .386.
In his first 10 years in MLB, Ichiro had at least 200 hits and won a Gold Glove. In 2004, he added another batting title, hitting .372—although, if you didn't count his slow start in April, he would have hit .392. That year, Ichiro had 262 hits—hitting .405 on the road, and .429 in the second half of the season—a mark that surpassed George Sisler's single-season record for hits. Sisler's mark of 257 hits had remained unbroken for 84 years.
Ichiro was a ten-time All-Star and finished his career with 3,089 hits, which is hard to expect from a player who begins his major league career at age 27. And I think that's Ichiro's great achievement: his legendary 28-season career (9 in NPB and then 19 in MLB), with an admirable consistency that led him to collect nine batting titles, four MVP awards (three in NPB and one in MLB, during his debut in 2001) and 4,367 hits with a unique style.
The first time I saw Ichiro play was in 2002, through friends who had videotaped games from the 2001 postseason. My reaction was surprising. When Ichiro hit, I had the feeling that he could hit it wherever he wanted. He handled the bat with the dexterity of a samurai. But the most impressive thing was that, until his final days as an MLB starter at over 42 years old, his swing still retained the touch of skill that characterized him: contact.
Ichiro never struck out more than 86 times in a single season. He also didn't walk more than the 82 times he did in 2002. So it wasn't hard to understand his mission at the plate: to put the ball in play. But I'd venture to say that Ichiro didn't care about contact per se, but rather whether it allowed him to get on base.
That was the first part of the work and success that marked his 28-season professional career. And it's worth remembering that that story began long before Ichiro became a worldwide sensation. Before reaching the majors in 2001 and shooting to stardom, Ichiro had an impressive nine-season career with the Orix Blue Wave in NPB.
His career began at age 18 in 1992.
Ichiro was drafted in the fourth round by the Orix Blue Wave in 1991. There is a story that marked Ichiro's start as a professional. When he was not even thought to be a major league star, Ichiro's first manager, Shozo Doi, said at the time that Ichiro would never hit with his batting stance. Coached by Doi, Ichiro hit just .226 in his first 166 plate appearances.