Joe Fann details the six biggest. Its what makes him a superstar, what makes him such a great player., Along with winning MVP and Rookie of the Year honors, Ichiro reimagined baseball stardom. buhners is great too. Mines just as gold as yours, Boone says. Thus was there a craving for approval from overseas, for a vindication of Japan itself, that attached itself to the athletes who made their way across the Pacific., Its a sentiment Masujima explored in a 2002 magazine essay while writing about the transformative power of stars like Nomo and Ichiro. same result as his first game as a member of the Mariners, Groz Remembers: Ichiros Star Wars throw in 2001. just drops and shakes his head, Ichiro was the only one in the video not surprised by that throw, It was going to take a perfect throw to get me. By the All-Star break, it held a 19-game lead over the second-place As. "The Throw" was electric, and one of Ichiro's first introductions to baseball in the United States. He hit in the batting cage underneath and he ran around the concourse in the upper deck for his running, Colborn recalls, laughing. Ichiro is famously baseball-obsessed with the entire process of getting ready to play the sport. ?Chuck Armstrong, Seattle Mariners president and COO, added, "Speaking for ourselves, our . Dave Parker, Ellis Valentine, Jay (Buhner) when I came here but, boy, that ball had some hop on it., Buhner: You just dont see a guy throw like that all the way in the air, when its cold as hell, when hes been sitting for seven innings., Second baseman Bret Boone: I only heard the ball as it went past my ear. Ichiro Suzuki established himself as a top fielder immediately upon joining the Seattle Mariners in 2001. Period, man, you are out. And was he ever out., Bell: I knew he had a great arm, but I was a little surprised. Holy crap, I don't think I've seen this online before. I want our players to know that I am with you in your fight to be the best. Ichiro would come up to bat and Mr. Niehaus could tell you the funniest story about him. There was a sellout crowd on a summer Saturday night, and the introduction had all the parallels when the center of attention was finally introduced. Aaron Judge led the majors in 2022 in fun points per PA. I feel like ending is so important, Ichiro said. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. and the 0-1 pitch on the way to Edgar Martnez swung on and LINED DOWN THE LEFT FIELD LINE FOR A BASE HIT! I get that question a lot, Ichiro said. This great star comes over here and not only has success, but really sets the pace in a lot of ways.. But hes never wanted to be an imposing figure. Niehaus died at his home in suburban Bellevue, according to his family. Less than a decade after hed left Japan, he noticed a dramatic difference. The manager gave me a big wet kiss. The 6 stages that come with each of his starts, Ichiro's April 11, 2001 throw in Oakland was the first of his many memorable defensive plays. He was just pissed., Small also reiterates how Ichiros rookie year had much bigger implications than just a championship. He took 150 swings and never stepped out of the batters box, never said I need to get a blow, I need to get my breath, Im tired, Gillick says. While I was playing at NPB and watching Ichiro playing well in the major leagues, my motivation became strong [to] play at the top level, Fukudome says through an interpreter. The Japanese sensation would go on to win the Rookie of the Year and the MVP that same season . I'm not sure he threw that ball at an upward angle. Salk: New MLB rules a plus, but theres a better way with pitch clock, Mariners Notebook: Julio Rodrguez fine, undeterred after wall crash. These Japanese athletes had taken the Japanese sports inferiority complexthe sense that the Japanese are not physically or experientially ready for world competitionand proved it wrong. Masijuma added, I believe that these athletes are not just about athletic talent. It was the thing to do, Whiting says. "Your future has possibilities that you cannot imagine, Ichiro said. [Nobuyuki] wrote in one of his books that [Ichiro] had six hours a year to play with his friends and the rest was practicing baseball, Whiting says. 1500 PAs). SEATTLE On Saturday night, the Mariners will honor one of their own when they induct outfielder Ichiro Suzuki into the team's Hall of Fame before a scheduled game against . The Japanese approach to hitting is such a cookie-cutter approachthey all hit the same, Whiting says. Terrance Long was over halfway from second to third when Ichiro picked up that ball. During one season, Colborn remembers Ichiro swinging just 11 times over a four-game series, and barreling the ball on every swing. . Don't you know. Subscribe to Stathead , the set of tools used by the pros, to unearth this and other interesting factoids. He is a great model to follow., Indeed, Ichiros 2001 season provided a master class in unflappability, a model for excelling while living in a fishbowl existence. Remember, we won 116 games that year. Are you kidding me? We thought we had a leadoff hitter, we thought we had a guy that could play right field, so we just went after it, Gillick says. With a late-season surge that rivaled some of the greatest in baseball history, the Mariners came from three games below .500 and a 13-game deficit in early August to secure a tie for the AL West with the California Angelsleading to a one-game playoff to determine the outright divisional champion.. Mariners fever was already in full bloom among the fans with . After making adjustments in spring training, he revised his stance, keeping both feet on the ground to better catch up to fastballs. "Pow, he got him" combined with "pegged him". He was just this unique individual, the result of a very unusual set of circumstances.. His first All-Star Game was one of those, coming in an at-bat against Randy Johnson. David Arnold Dave Niehaus (February 19, 1935 November 10, 2010) was an American sportscaster. But everybody knew it could only be Dave Niehaus. In this outtake clip from Janis Joplin: Little Girl Blue . Remembering Dave Niehaus. Then Ichiro clarified. It was so true and so strong. Next door in the press box, Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus described the throw as being like something out of Star Wars, a call that was soon attached to the clip on every sports report that night. The Mariners were 60-102 that season and drew only 813,537 fans, the lowest full-season total in club history. He followed up with a steal of second base in what was his first exposure on a big national stage in America. [Ichiro] held that bat up like a magic wand, like, What do we got here? Even years later, during pitcher Ervin Santanas debut season with the Angels, Ichiro always found an opening. During the previous three years, he broke the countrys single-season hit record (he had 210 hits in 130 games), won the first of seven straight batting titles, and transcended the limits of the Pacific League. 0 Followers. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. I remember seeing his face, and this sounds strange, but he didnt seem dejected, he seemed pissed, Small says. He has been the Mariners' voice for their entirety, from Diego Segui's first pitch in the franchise's inaugural game in 1977 to Ichiro's fly out to end the . [0:35 for exact replay]. [Ichiro] is somebody I have followed most of my life, especially as another left-handed hitter, Ohtani told ESPN in 2019, before Ichiro finished his Hall of Fame career in Japan. Every day from 3:30 to 7 p.m., Ichiro would hit soft toss and take fungo drills in a nearby park. David Arnold Niehaus (February 19, 1935 - November 10, 2010) was an American sportscaster.He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in 1977 until his death after the 2010 season. Niehaus was a constant. I mean, they had the left fielder on the left-field line, they had the third baseman almost shaking hands with him, they had the infield halfway in, had the second baseman pulled sometimesyou saw every defense that you could see, he says. He would become the first Japanese-born MLB player to be inducted. "I recorded [the 2001 All-Star Game] on VHS and watched it at least six or seven times as a kid, so Ichiro leading off by beating Randy to the bag stands out to me a lot," Ty said. Oh Ichiro it's why we love you. Ive been looking for this angle for a while. Seriously, who does that? Dusty Groove is Chicago's Online Record Store -- Jazz, Soul, Funk, Hip Hop, R&B, Latin, Brazil, African, World Music, Avant, Rock, Blues & more LPs, CDs, vinyl . Mariano Rivera is widely considered the greatest closer of all-time. The countrys media had taken over Peoria every day during the spring, and its presence grew as Ichiro continued his success in Seattle. Seattle won 40 games over the first two months of that season, leaning on free-agent additions like Boone and key veterans like Edgar Martinez. ROOT Sports analyst Mike Blowers talked to Bob, Groz and Tom about Lewis and what makes him stand out. "This is truly devastating news," said Seattle Mariners chairman Howard Lincoln. With one out and Oaklands Terrence Long at first base, catcher Ramn Hernndez grounded a single to right field. Even though I retired as an active player, baseball and Seattle have never left my heart, Ichiro said. She talks . But he comes to play every day and hes got a looseness to him, and you dont see any argumentative confrontations on the field that you want to cast him as the bad guy, Colborn says. This is the one that really shows what a laser it was. Ichiro came up throwing, and no one who saw it or heard Dave Niehaus memorable call will ever forget it. About an hour later, Ichiro led off the game by hitting Browns fourth pitch 400 feet and depositing it into the right-field bleachers. By the time Colborn returned to Japan in 1997 as the Mariners new scouting coordinator for the Pacific Rim, Ichiro had become a national icon. 2023 Bonneville International. During Suzuki's first month in the majors in 2001, Niehaus narrated a throw by Suzuki from right field that nailed Terrence Long at third base. Daves call elevated it to superhuman stature, Seattle Times columnist Larry Stone says. I love the call on that play - the fact that the announcer has the time and presence of mind to include the "look at the throw from right" as the ball's still in the air makes it so much better to me. Drayer: 10 months of preparation led up to Ichiros last two games, Ichiro came off the field one final time as a Seattle Mariners player on Thursday. Saturday, March 10, 2018 10:25pm. Could only be Dave Niehaus we got here laser it was with a steal second! But really sets the pace in a nearby park was just pissed., Small says call ever. Upon joining the Seattle Mariners in 2001 an opening was his first exposure on big... The keyboard shortcuts pissed., Small says to unearth this and other interesting factoids to Bob, and... 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