As careful as Ichiro is with his equipment, he's even more careful with his body. He stretches a good deal, and not just before at-bats. Before games, he massages the soles of his feet with a wooden stick.
He was fanatical about it. That's probably one of the big reasons he's playing here at age That stretching has helped him immensely in staying healthy and playing this long. He immediately learned to sign his name in English script, wore his first name on the back of his jersey -- the only active player to do so -- and took the Big Unit's old number: His right-field position soon became known as Area 51, but his reach extended far beyond that.
After his original signing, his replica jersey initially outsold every other jersey. Ichiro was so popular in Seattle that for years there was a concession stand that sold Ichirolls spicy tuna sushi , but alas, that menu item was dropped after the Mariners traded him to New York in His bobbleheads were so coveted that giveaway night lines resembled those for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The club even received a request from someone who wanted to market an I-Cheerio cereal. The real Ichiro was so popular that Fake Ichiro would wander around downtown Seattle, signing autographs and posing for photographs.
He made a mistake one game when he reached over the low fence down the right field line and grabbed a ball -- that was still in play. Ichiro and fellow Japanese superstar Hideki Matsui first met when their high schools played against each other in After games, teams would take communal baths, but seniors were supposed to go in first.
Ichiro, who was a senior, saw that Matsui, a junior, was already in the water. This annoyed Ichiro so much that more than a decade later when they were both in the majors and appeared on a TV show together, Ichiro asked Matsui: "Why did you get in the bath first?
Ichiro isn't just a hitter. He pitched in high school and maintained his arm speed and control when he moved to the outfield as a pro. He showed off that arm in his first weeks with the Mariners when he threw out Terrence Long at third base on a ball to right field.
He threw a strike. David Bell never moved his glove to catch it and then put down to tag him. It was one of the greatest throws I've seen in 42 years of broadcasting. Ichiro, who was sent to the mound to record the final out of the Japanese All-Star Game, wanted to pitch many times in the majors. He finally got the chance in the final game of last season when he allowed one run and two hits in one inning against the Phillies.
Ichiro can be difficult with reporters, declining interviews or telling them to come back in a week or two. When he does do interviews, he'll sometimes speak with his back to reporters while an interpreter translates his responses.
But Ichiro can be funny and interesting when he does speak. He can be so intriguing, in fact, that author David Shields collected many of his quotes in a book -- and that was more than a decade ago.
I think there's sexiness in infield hits because they require technique. I'd rather impress the chicks with my technique than with my brute strength.
Then, every now and then, just to show I can do that, too, I might flirt a little by hitting one out. If I ever saw myself saying I'm excited going to Cleveland, I'd punch myself in the face, because I'm lying. The problem usually isn't just on the cover. You need to look much deeper. For example, if we're talking about a tree, and the tree has a problem, you need to look at the root.
But you cannot see the root. Your browser does not support iframes. The year-old is having his best season since probably , hitting.
Hit No. The achievement is even more remarkable considering that Ichiro didn't begin his major league career until he was Six years after Hideo Nomo debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers and opened the floodgates for Japanese stars to come to the United States, Ichiro was really the first impact position player to make the leap. The outfielder hit. That night, when asked about the possibility of sticking around for 3,, he conceded, "I can't have that as a goal. Lo and behold, Ichiro did stick around.
Now, in the midst of an improbable resurgence with the Marlins at age 42, Ichiro enters a weekend series against the Mets in Miami just four hits away from becoming the 30th player in major league history to reach that magical milestone. What will be truly remarkable about Ichiro getting there, however, is that he'll be the first member who began his professional career in a foreign league. He spent nine seasons to with the Orix Blue Wave in the Japan Pacific League, debuting as an year-old and playing for a manager whose distaste for Ichiro's unorthodox swing with its high leg kick pushed him back to the Japanese minor leagues.
When Orix changed managers for the season, the year-old Ichiro became a lineup staple, winning that year's batting title with a. That kicked off a dominant stretch in which he won the first of seven straight batting titles and Gold Gloves and the first of three consecutive MVP awards.
Overall, Ichiro hit. In , the rebuilding Blue Wave allowed him to become the first Japanese position player to go through the posting system, which allowed major league teams to bid for the right to negotiate with a foreign player. Several Japanese pitchers had come to the U. The wiry year-old rightfielder quickly became a stateside sensation. In he led the majors with hits and 56 steals, won the American League batting title with a.
He also made the All-Star team and won a Gold Glove, honors he would replicate in each of the next nine years. In fact, from to '10, Ichiro batted at least. Still, each Ichiro at-bat has become an event, and interest in the milestone has intensified, as a large contingent of Japanese media members -- sometimes as many as -- have attended each game for weeks, compared to the who regularly follow the club. Fans have also followed the quest from park to park. For me, I feel like I should have gotten this two years ago.
In his second season with the Marlins, Ichiro entered just 65 hits shy of 3, Early in the year, it was evident that he was re-energized, and he's been a highly productive fourth outfielder and pinch-hitter.
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