If someone doesn't vote for him first ballot for the hall of fame, not only should they have their vote revoked for life, they should be exiled to a remote island.
Voters used to purposely avoid voting for obvious Hall of famers because they thought nobody deserved to be unanimous. Then they changed the rules and made it so voter decisions were made public. Mariano Rivera then became the first player to be unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame.
When ichiro debuted in America I was 10. Immediately i connected with him. I was a slender, contact and speed outfielder who always had a fascination for Japan. He immediately became one of my favorites. When he retired, I was a 28 year old whose first child had been born. Losing Ichiro was really the final semblance of my childhood leaving me. I can only hope my sons find something they connect with the way I connected with Ichiro.
2:08 Ichiro only having, well, Ichiro on the back of his jersey is actually a hold over from his NPB days. "Suzuki" is like the second most common family name in Japan, so to make him stand out more, his team's manager had him use his given name instead as a publicity stunt.
Being an M’s is one of the strangest pro sports teams to experiences you can have. An immense effect on the game with historical seasons, moments and superstar players. Yet I can count our postseason appearances on one hand. Ichi only reminds me why I love being a Mariners fan 💙
Watching this video made me realize that in 2018 at a Padres game at PetCo I watched him warm up. I never realized he wasn’t technically playing at the point just thought it was an off day. It makes watching him warm up that day even better knowing he was probably doing it in part just for the fans in another ball park.
Ichiro was notorious for putting on a show in BP, there’s a whole baseball subculture dedicated to the idea that he could’ve had 50 HR kind of power based on what he did in BP. Barry Bonds (who was the Marlins hitting coach when Ichiro played for them) said he thought 40 year old Ichiro would win the Home Run Derby outright if he participated and he regularly beat Stanton in swing-offs in BP.
I was at his final game in Tokyo. It's something I will remember his exit of the game for the rest of my life. It was truly so special. Ichiro's MLB debut was against Oakland. The Mariners won 5-4. His very last game was against Oakland, and again, the Mariners won 5-4.
He was one of the finest athletes I've ever seen. He was great throwing people out when they would try to take an extra base or advance from 1st to 3rd base.
Ichiro was, and still is, an absolute legend. He broke so many records and had so many incredible performances that straight up broke what everyone thought was possible in the MLB.
The impact Ichiro had on the game was incedible. I happened to be in cleveland in 04 when Thome was in his prime, went to a game and Seattle was in town. He was treated like a hometown hero, he got louder cheers when he came to bat then Thome!! Everyone loves Ichiro, EVERYONE.
During the off season in the last a few years, Ichiro has gone to several high school teams in Japan. I really respect what he's been doing to the baseball society even after his retirement!
Def first ballot. Always loved this man, watching the farewell clip again just filled my entire body with goosebumps, hair raising shit. Ahh man, and justvthe respect he had for the game. The way he carries himself, Ichiro is 2nd to none, absolute Legend❤
Ichiro really was something like a superhero to me. He had that mystical thing about him.. In the midst of the steroid era, he said l, “nah, I’m just gonna slap the ball to every part of the baseball diamond 200+ times, throw 95 mph missiles from right field and steal bases like a madman- for a decade STRAIGHT.”
I feel as legendary as he is to this generation, he will be someone we explain to our kids and their friends as “you guys don’t know ICHIRO??” One of those players.. I just feel very blessed to have seen his entire prime when I was a fanatical young ball player.
I watched these games live while at work. It was hard for me to hold back the tears when he did his final good bye, didn't want to sit ther bawling in the office. A beutiful moment.
If baseball has a soul, then it inhabits Ichiro’s body…the only MLB game I’ve ever been to in person was 03 Seattle at NY…I got to see Clemens pitch to him, and I don’t remember if he got a knock or not but I know Seattle won that game.
The only career/retirement that comes close to this level of movie-script aligning is Joe Mauer. Grew up in Minnesota, drafted #1 overall by the hometown team, the only one he would ever play for, and his final action as a player was behind the plate where he started.
2 of my favorite things about Ichiro: - he is naturally a right handed hitter, but trained himself to hit lefty so that he could start every at bat closer to first base - early in his career in Japan, a coach criticized his form, his response was “I’m still hitting more than everybody else” An all time baseball legend.
So weird how little people bring him up in the conversations of all time greats. Ichiro put up unbelievable MLB numbers for anyone, no less someone who debuted at 27 years old
I remember hearing a story that Ichiro during pre game batting practice was told by Pinella to hit the ball somewhere else because he kept pulling it or sending it the other way and then he immediately hit like 3 straight home runs the other way to where he was hitting before. He literally just played with MLB pitchers during spring training the whole time bc if he wanted to he could literally hit the baseball wherever he wanted to
I've followed the first half of Ichiros career. I'm not much of a baseball fan but the Mariners was my team in the early 2ks but it was not Ichiro. I got interested in them at 2001 with Kazu - the first Japanese to be named AL ROY. Mariners was then considered at the bottom of the league, then Ichiros name came out and i was sold. From then his fame grew. Each time he steps on the plate expect a hit, always. In all things, his presence helped build back the Mariners (although acquisitions didnt make anything better for the team across the decade) into a fanfavorite spectacle. a 1st ballot HOF if you ask me. 10x Gloves, all-time 0.35 BA, AL ROY and AL MVP, Silver Slugger and Batting Leader, an all around OF/RF ...just amazing
Ichiro might be the best of the short kings in sports! AI and Ichiro let you know it didn’t matter what you looked like or where you’re if you could ball.
Was never an M's fan but damn was I a fan of Ichiro. One of the best all time to ever grace the field. Was always respectful, never taunted on the field, just showed up did his job as well as he could everyday all while getting to play the game he loved for a living. I mean, look at that walk he drew in this video alone. Just placed it down on the line and took his base. I know it's more of a culture thing with Japan (I wish the U.S. were a little more like that tbh), but he was just one of the most humble beings to ever do it. Shed one of them grown man tears when he retired. Phenomenal player and human. Sayonara until 2025 when you're going into the HOF.
I remember his first game - he was so good. Such a unique player. What a fun time to be a native Seattleite. Later, I moved to New York, and ran into him at a Starbucks. Ran into ARod when he was just a pup of 18 years, at a job of mine, where his agent also had office space. He was a punk. Edgar Martinez, I met at another job, didn’t even recognize him, and he was such a gentlemen.
I grew up in New England as a die hard Red Sox fan & witnessed the likes of Wiliams, Tiant, Yaz, Lynn, Rice, Fisk, Evans, Boggs, Clemens, et al. Even with all that greatness & having a bias toward my hometown team, Ichiro is still my all-time favorite player. He was absolutely spectacular.
I remember the Ichirio hype train ahead of his Seattle debut after watching everyone shortly before he arrived and I remember that summer everyday of it watching him win every game in the most magical season of being a Mariners fan
I was born during the twilight of ichiros first stint with Seattle and growing up in Seattle going to games here the 2 jerseys I see the most are ken Griffeys 24 and ichrios 51 he is a great player and a great human that’s why I call him ichigoat he deserves to be first ballot no question
Man I shed some tears when I saw Ichiro walk off that field for the last time. Ichiro was one of the few highlights of a bleak Mariners squad i began to watch in the late 2000s to early 2010s. He was fun, a master at his craft, and played his heart out every game. Thats why he'll be beloved by Seattle (and other teams) fan forever. Also F*ck Mike Francesa
Pretty sure the going by one name thing was a promotional gimmick that the Orix BlueWave did that Ichiro hated, but then it worked and he was stuck with it
Closest in recent memory that is similar to storybook ending for an MLB player would be Derek Jeter. A game winning RBI on your final home game after the closer blows the save to force you to bat one last time? It was like a Hollywood script coming to life.
I still have my giveaway item from the Padres v. Mariners in 2001 in SD.(Either a Mark Kotsay Jersey or a Trevor Hoffman long sleeve shirt.) Olerud hit a cycle, got to see Ichiro, got drunk. Great fucking night!
Ichiro's walkoff tour was nice, but as a Cards fan, Pujols coming back and getting to 700 will always be the best final tour for me. Especially, because the last 10 years of his career had been so not Pujols and just for him to come back to STL to play the best he had played since he left the Cards.
i think the reason we dont talk about it anymore is that it was a perfect way to go out. its able to be laid to rest and just able to be watched and soaked in.
How many more hits would the new three inch larger bases have given Ichi??? I say sixteen a year thru his first tenure with the Mariners. What say you?
I wonder if his first name being on his jersey has something to do with the way that people introduce themselves and use their name in japan putting the family name first and and the given name second and that lead to a mistake thinking his first name was his last name and he just ran with it.
How about Tom Seaver winning his 300th game at Yankee Stadium half full of Met fans on the day the Yankees were retiring the number of his future broadcasting partner Phil Rizzuto? The stars don't align any better than that.
