Were British Guys Impressed by Ichiro Suzuki? (FIRST TIME REACTION) 

Please check out our Patreon at - www.patreon.com/DNReacts Thanks for watching, we hope you enjoyed! Please like, share & subscribe! Check out our merch shop and support the channel. - dnreacts.creator-spring.com/ Donate via PayPal (PayPal account not needed) at - www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=BZRANMGGL9Q9Q Join our Discord, meet the community, submit requests, be included in channel and content polls at - discord.gg/cAkQwUuPN8

Growing up a Mariners fan during the Ichiro era was something else man. We had so many teams fall through from getting into the playoffs but we always had Ichiro to watch and admire, he was the one bright spot on so many bad teams. my mom cried when he was traded, losing him was a huge shot to the city

When he retired, the MLB had their season opener series at Tokyo Dome, in the last game of the series, when Seattle subbed him out in the I think 6th inning, the game stopped so Ichiro could take his last walk to the dug out while being sent off with a standing ovation from the Tokyo Dome crowd. Not a dry eye in the building.

Roki Sasaki will likely set records for a transfer fee when he’s eligible. There are some good RU-vid videos about how good he is. He was a pitcher for Japan in the WBC this year. He has a career ERA under 2 so far

One more impressive thing about Ichiro was his ability to hit the other way. There isn't a defensive shift you could've devise that would help you against him because the map of the balls he put in play were all over the place.

In 2001, Ichiro won the Rookie of the Year in the AL and Albert Pujols won it in the NL, which are two of the best rookie seasons of all time.

Truly one of the best. Ever. I'm an Asian-American who grew up playing baseball and was on my high school team from 2002-6, and let me tell you, there were zero other players like him. It meant *so* much to me to be able to see someone who looked like me succeeding at such an astronomically insane level. Got to meet him too and make some small talk with him at the 2005 All-Star Game in Detroit. He was heading into the dugout/clubhouse from warmups, saw me waving at him and came over to sign my ticket stub for me. Made me so happy. Great memory for me and my Dad too. After Ichiro headed back in with the team, Dad came over and threw me a ball and said "You are never going to forget that for the rest of your life" and he was right. I'm from Detroit, so naturally I'm a Tigers fan, but Ichiro was easily my favorite player to watch and root for. I was heartbroken when the Mariners traded him away (and to the damn Yankees at that).

Ichiro is currently a coach for the Mariners (I think his title is "special assignment coach" or something like that), and has been credited with helping Julio Rodriguez become such a great center fielder. I've heard he arrives at the stadium before anyone else, doing warmups and batting practice, as if he were a starter. Amazing player!

This man should be the next unanimous selection in to the Hall of Fame. 10 straight 200+ hit seasons (with one being the single season record that will probably never be broken) should prove to anyone that he is one of the best, if not the best hitter in baseball (no disrespect to Pete Rose). And Im not even talking about his defense & arm which were incredible

Jon Bois did a really cool documentary style series about the mariners. one episode was just dedicated to the era of ichiro. it gives even more context on his greatness and his personality quirks which this video didn't really get into. that would be a great one to check out.

Ichiro is unanimously the most loved player of all time.

In Japan, where individuality is a societal evil, simply being different can hurt you all kinds of ways. Old Japanese saying: the nail that is up *must* be hammered down.

Perhaps the best thing about Ichiro among the list of great things is that he still works for and practices with the Mariners every single day even though he's retired. They basically created a special job position for him. He still suits up and is out fielding fly balls before every game. He even bought a set of catcher's gear so he could be the bull pen catcher for relievers about to go into games. Even though he's not in the MLB anymore, he will probably be a baseball player until the day he dies.

one of my favorite ichiro stories involves the guy mentioned at the start of the video, mike sweeney. ichiro and sweeney had played in an exhibition game in japan the year before ichiro came to the majors, and whenever somebody got a hit, a graphic that said “nice batting” would pop up. the next year, ichiro hits a single and sweeney comes up to him at first base and says, “hey ichiro, nice batting!” to which ichiro responded, “hey, mike sweeney! nice ass!” 😂😂😂😂😂

Here's the even crazier thing about Ichiro. He reckoned he could have been a massive home run hitter (and his batting practice performances reflect it), but he purposefully didn't focus on power as to keep his average/hit numbers high. Dude literally wasn't even using 100% of his power and still is a Top 10 all-time player.

"A child needs to be a child." Well said. Love your guys content. Stay safe and take care!

The only batting stance I think was imitated more than Ichiro's iconic pre-at-bat ritual was Ken Griffey Jr.'s follow-through. I didn't even grow up that close to Seattle and I imitated both for as long as I remember. Probably still would if I went to a batting cage lol

I had the thrill of watching Ichiro play with the Miami Marlins from 2015 through 2017. While he was in his early 40s, well past his prime, he was still awesome. As a Marlin he got both his 3,000th MLB hit and passed Pete Rose's all-time hits record (MLB and Japan combined). Although this video is great, you can't really appreciate how great he was without watching a highlight reel, of which there are several on RU-vid.

There’s something that needs to be said that makes Ichiro even more impressive, his time in Seattle was spent at an infamous pitcher’s park. Being a great hitter there is even harder than it is many places in the MLB.

Another little thing about Ichiro is that he absolutely had the strength to also hit a lot of home runs and be in the conversation with Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, etc if he wanted to. But chose to be a pure hit machine due to him knowing that his elite running speed would be much more beneficial to his team overall. I'm not even from Seattle or anything but Ichiro is my favorite baseball player ever, growing up as a kid in the 2000s and just seeing Ichiro play was so much fun to watch, some of my fondest childhood memories

6:30 Judging players by their mechanics more than their performance was not just a problem in the NPB but in the MLB as well. The relatively poor Oakland Athletics was able to put together such a good team in 2002 because the general manager, Billy Beane, started ignoring mechanics entirely and just used statistics to determine a player's value, and he was able to pick up some players at a bargain because they were overlooked by other teams because of unorthodox throwing motions, hitting motions, or otherwise not looking like a good baseball player. It's not so much a problem in the MLB anymore.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest being a Mariners fan, Ichiro was everything. Hell always be my favorite player

I got to see him in his prime in Oakland against the A's. There was a ball hit deep to (nearly dead) center field and the CF (Mike Cameron i believe) got turned around & lost track of the ball. Out of nowhere this flash came from right field & caught it. In the same game he hit a soft dribbler between pitcher & 1b & beat it out easily. I was already a fan but after that day he became my favorite player at that time by far.

I highly recommend the series from Secret Base, “The History of the Seattle Mariners.” The videos are quite long, but it’s some of the best sports content on RU-vid, and the Ichiro episode is especially good. I believe you’ve already reacted to at least one video from its creator, Jon Bois, and you seemed to like his unique map-based presentation.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a good pitcher that will almost definitely be posted this upcoming offseason. He’s won the NPB equivalent of the cy young award the last two seasons and he’s only 24.

As if theres anything else to mention, theres the fact he hit 100+ RBIs in those 10 straight seasons. That is unparalleled clutchness.

Roki Sasaki and Munetaka Murikami are two guys set to come to the mlb in the next few years that are superstars in the NBP. They are calling Murikami “Japanese Babe Ruth” put up a 55+ homerun season last year

Ichiro's dedication to the game is insane. He still works for the Mariners, warms up with the team, shags fly balls during BP, still does his daily stretching routine. He retired in 2019. He was my favorite player growing up (Griffey is still the greatest Mariner though).

Superb video. His level of greatness needs to be reminded every so often.

It sounds weird, but Ichiro had a similar childhood to Michael Jackson. Domineering/abusive fathers pushing them both through intense, perfectionist training from an absurdly young age. However, where MJ was pumped full of drugs and kept on tour his entire prime, Ichiro got to put the Pacific Ocean between him and his father and was adopted by the city of Seattle. Ichiro is a very private person, but you can tell he is profoundly in love with Seattle and the fans. I think they completely changed his life.

Incredibly fortunate to see Ichiro play in Japan when he was with the Orix Blue Wave and watched him here when the Mariners came to visit Yankee Stadium. By far my favorite player of all time.

Fun fact about Ichiro's name: Ichiro is a very common name given to the firstborn son in Japan, because it means quite literally "first son". Ichi meaning 1, and ro (郎) being the counter for sons.

I was in Seattle at the time and as much as everyone loves Ichiro, I believe Ken Griffey Jr. is regarded as the greatest Mariner. But it was a great time to be a fan, both before Ichiro when they had Junior, pre-steroid A-Rod, and Randy Johnson along with Edgar Martinez and Jay Buehner, Joey Cora and others, and then when Ichiro was there after most of those guys had gone to other teams.

The thing that always amazed me most about Ichiro is the routine ground ball he hits directly to the shortstop and then outruns the throw.

I'm a Ranger fan 😢. Those Mariner teams with Ichiro, Griffey, Martinez, Randy F'n Jhonson they were a nightmare. Nobody got on base like Ichiro, he was who smaller players like myself looked at as proof of what speedy contact hitters could do in the MLB.

Nick and Damo, you guys continue to select the best videos to react to. Your discord polls have never steered you wrong. Another absolute banger. Ichiro is arguably the greatest athlete that has ever played in Seattle in any sport. Ichiro seemed to shun the spotlight and really kept his private life very private. And as you may have noticed, with the exception of mentioning his father and his role in turning his son into a baseball phenom, they do no divulge any additional information about his family. If he wanted a statue in front of the stadium, he'd have one. If we wanted a section of the ball park named after him, the Mariners would do it. But he was a really quiet superstar. He also didn't learn to speak English for quite a while and communicated through an interpreter. So many American baseball fans could not get to know him. However, his talent was undeniable. I attended a Mariners game recently and saw at least a thousand people wearing Ichiro jerseys in the stands. Another reason why Ichiro isn't considered the greatest baseball player in MLB history is that so many of his hits were singles aided by him being left handed and having blazing speed down to first base. I would bet my life savings that of the greatest hitters, Ichiro had more infield singles than anyone else. Slapping balls down to third base or in the hole at short stop and just out running the throw to first base was an Ichiro staple. If he had been a big guy hitting lots of home runs and extra base hits he would have garnered more notoriety around the MLB and appeared on more highlights every night. But he was hitting a LOT of singles and getting on base and that won't get you featured on ESPN every night. But it didn't matter to us here in Seattle. He was phenomenal player, an iron man who kept his body in peak condition until all of his hair was gray and he looked pretty old. It sad to seen talent finally wane with the passage of time, but as all great athletes finally realize. Father time is undefeated!! ♥

Oh wow, you guys are reacting to my idol. Can't wait to watch, Hope you guys were impressed by the goat. Also here is my favourite quote from him "If I'm ever in a slump, I ask myself for advice" - Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro is an absolute legend of the game and a Seattle Icon. I am so glad I got to watch him play growing up. My favorite Mariners are Ichiro, Edgar Martinez, Felix Hernandez (who is getting inducted in our hall of fame this weekend) and Ken Griffey Jr.

I'm not a Mariners fan, but my two all-time favorite baseball players are Ken Griffey Jr and Ichiro. Glad to see you guys check out the absolute legend that is Ichiro

There are currently 3 large names Munetaka Murakami 3B, Yoshinobu Yamamoto Starter, & Roki Sasaki also a starter. Yamamoto is much closer to being able to Post to mlb but Murakami and Sasaki have until 25 and 26 respectively to post.

Big mariners fan, been watching you guys almost from the start Griffey Jr is my favorite mariner of all time but ichiro is #2 I’ll have to join this discord now haha

I just recently discovered your channel. This particular video made my Mariner’s loving heart so happy. You know you’re a die hard M’s fan when one of the first non baseball things you think of when you think of Ichiro, is the time Ken Griffey Jr. glued him to a chair, and you can hear him yelling, “JUNIOR!!!!!” IYKYK 🙃

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned it yet but his batting stance wasn't just weird but so was his swing. When Ichiro swung, he more or less flicked his entire body at the ball and literally started running to 1st base as he swung, it almost looked like he was falling over. It was all intentional and he did it because he felt that the best way they he could help his team win was to get on base and swinging like that meant that he could get a head start to running to 1st early. The video didn't mention it but Ichiro almost always, maybe always, lead the league in infield hits because his time to first base was so fast. Also another incredible stat that shows not only how productive and consistent Ichiro was is that he had 10 season with 200 or more hits, tying Pete Rose, and he did all 10 in a row, the only player to ever do so. All to start his mlb career.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto should be posted this post-season, arguably one of the best NPB pitchers of all time and he;s pretty young.

Ichiro was undeniable but Griffey was the face of the MLB for nearly a decade and the reason i started watching/playing baseball

Never heard anything bad about him. Dude is a legend.

As to his swing -Japanese baseball was (and kind of still is) very rigid. Or formal. So unorthodox behavior is frowned upon or even derided. Robert Whiting, who wrote the book this video gots its info from, wrote an amazing book a couple of decades ago about the history of the NPB and baseball in Japan. It’s called “You Gotta Have Wa” and I highly recommend it.

Ichiro was the second greatest hitter I ever got to see play in person. And he's only second because I got to see Tony Gwynn play during his prime.

Would love if you guys got to do the History of the Mariners doc that Secret Base did. It's multiple parts and hours long, but well worth a watch.

2024 - Yoshinobu Yamamoto (SP) has a 1.90 ERA over 7 NPB seasons and has won the MVP award and the equivalent of the Cy Young award the last 2 seasons. 2026 - Munetaka Murakami (3B) broke the single season homerun record last year (56) and has led the NPB in homeruns the last 2 seasons along with winning MVP those seasons. 2027 - Roki Sasaki (SP) has a 1.91 ERA over 3 NPB seasons, broke Ohtani's high school pitch speed record (101 mph), and threw a perfect game last season at age 20.

Every baseball fan growing up in Seattle practiced Ichiro's batting stance he is an icon and superhuman figure in the city and the sport, and nearly a GOD in Japan

ichiro is my goat. the entire reason i started playing baseball back in the day

I follow the Korean league more than the Japanese league but the Japanese players I hear the most buzz about are pitchers Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamato as well as slugger Munetaka Murakami.

Never knew about some of that older history with Ichiro. Makes a bit more sense why he was so great with all that "training" for lack of a better word. He was my inspiration when i was in little league, practicing bunting and the speed of stealing bases. Probably my favorite Mariner of my time because i was a little too young to experience Griffey and Martinez.

ok guys, ichiro was my childhood idol. growing up as a Seattle Mariners fan from the great city of Seattle, Ichiro is one of the greatest athletes and human beings to ever exist. most humble person I've ever seen and he taught me how to be a man. as someone who's father wasn't there a lot of the time watching ichiro play everyday and the respect for every human being he came across made me into the man I am today. I will support this man until l die and the day he was traded to the Yankees, little 11 year old me cried more then I've ever cried in my life. my goat.

Yoshinobo Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki are two generational pitching talents

Favorite mariner player probably depends on which era you grew up watching. That being said, he’s by far the most unique mariner ever and yes he is my favorite ever. Probably the greatest lead off man of all time. Second favorite mariner for me would have to be Edgar Martinez. Great reaction!

He’s probably the best player ever. I can’t imagine being more well rounded at everything. His BP HR sessions are legendary

Y’all have made me realize I was in Seattle in the Ken Griffey Jr era, San Francisco for the Berry Bonds era, Seattle again for the Ichiro era, and still Seattle in the Legion of Boom era. Cool.

Ichiro is, and was an incredible baseball player. One of the greatest of all time and the reason we have the greatest player of all time playing right now.

He played until age 45 and finished with a career .311 batting average with 117 home runs and over 500 steals

As a lifer of Seattle football and baseball since my dad got season tickets for the Seahawks since it was hard to go to baseball games 81 times from the Portland Oregon area first of the greats of the mariners was Edgar Martinez, then Ken Griffey jr.and Jay burner. Ichiro was a immortal legend. He made a-rod irrelevant. His rookie season was when I moved back to the northwest and it was awesome to watch.

next Japanese potential superstar player is pitcher Roki Sasaki, keep an eye out for him soon.

Ichiro was a great player. He had been the best player in Japan for years before he came to the US and MLB .He hit for a high average and got a lot of walks ,so he had an excellent on base percentage . He was an excellent baserunner and could steal bases . The only thing he lacked offensively was big power .He was an excellent outfielder with a GREAT arm .

I'd say the next two biggest names to come over from Japan (besides Masataka Yoshida who is in his first year with the Red Sox killing it) are pitcher Roki Sasaki who at 20 years old managed to throw a perfect game striking out 19 only to follow it up in his next start throwing another 8 perfect innings before being pulled and infielder Munetaka Murakami who at only 23 has almost 200 home runs in the NPB.

Ichiro is one of my favorites of all time!

Favorite player growing up, used his walk up batting as a kid haha.

I’ve been a rather involved baseball fan for 20 years and this is only the second or third time that I’ve been made aware of the workings of the Japanese posting system. There are a lot of weird systems surrounding drafting and signing international players from various backgrounds. It’s definitely the nerdy nitty-gritty side of baseball that only matters if you care to do a deep dive. It’s fun, but ultimately unnecessary knowledge for general fans. Great stuff guys!

Over 200hits a season, above .300 BA, and being an All-Star........10years in a row! 3089 hits in MLB and 4367 total, adding the NPB 1278 hits, is amazing!

I wasn't a Mariner's fan, but it is impossible to not appreciate how great Ichiro was. Superb outfielder with a fantastic arm, and a hitting machine that has few peers. Players like Rod Carew and Tony Gwynn were tremedous hitters, but I think they fall short of Ichiro. I only wish he could have had a longer career in the US as it would have been fun to watch his assault on the record books. I also wanted to add that they have played 162 games per season since 1961, but prior to that the season was 154 games. Some records, like hits in a season, disadvantage the players who played prior to the expanded season.

I have no ties to Seattle or the Mariners at all but Ichiro has always been one of my favorite players ever and one of the greatest hitters to ever live

I started watching baseball 6 years ago by watching npb and my favorite player is SEIYA SUZUKI. And lucky me, Seiya joined Chicago Cubs last year, the city now I live.

Love the content boys, keep up the great work 🤜🤛🙌

I saw Ichiro play years ago when I was Kid. At the time I had no idea how huge he would be and wish I remembered more of the game lol😂

One of my favorite athletes of any sports

What an UNBELIEVABLE video!!! I was getting goosebumps when hearing some of these insane stats and was also getting goosebumps at some of your guys’ reactions. Incredible!

It's hard to say that Ichiro is the greatest Mariner ever when Griffey exists. That said, Ichiro is still one of the greatest *baseball players* of all time, regardless of team. He is an absolute legend of the sport.

This video was great, but I wish he had time to go into his power hitting and his freakish bat control. He could have hit 40 dingers a year if he wanted to, but he didn't want to. He was so special with his bat that he basically intentionally chose to go for the more secure precise base hit, than go for powering it over the wall, but he could choose homeruns when he wanted to. He also treated his bats with extreme reverence and kept them in his own humidor, and even apologized to his bat if he ever mistreated them. I also just wish the video touched on his peculiarities. His pre-bat routine, his stance, his follow-through were all deeply unique and absolutely iconic.

Roki Sasaki pitched quite possibly the greatest game ever pitched in the history of professional baseball in Japan last year (a 19 strikeout perfect game). He was 20 years old throwing 102 mph fastballs. The next game he pitched 8 more perfect innings before his manager took him out (due to overwork). It's gonna be a while before he's eligible to come to the MLB, but he's truly amazing. There's a good video by Yakyu Cosmopolitan about the game.

I believe one of the rising stars in Japan is 23 year old Munetaka Murakami, a corner infielder with massive power, and a key part of Japan’s WBC championship.

You guys asked and as a Seattle Mariners Fan born & raised in Washington State ... Edgar Martinez is my all-time favorite Mariners Player followed by Ken Griffey, Jr. then Ichiro Suzuki then Jay Buhner then Dan Wilson as my top 5 Mariner Hall of Famers (Martinez & Griffey being True Hall of Gamers and Ichiro likely inducted into Hall of Fame 2024 or 2025!) Epic Reactions as always guys 😀

i was never a Mariners fan, but if i saw one of their games on TV i’d watch it just to see Ichiro play 👍

I remember being at a game in Oakland when the A's were playing the Mariners. Seattle had the go-ahead run on third base, and Ichiro was coming to bat. I thought to myself, "There's no player I want to see less than Ichiro right now." Sure enough, he slapped a single over the left side of the infield, and drove in the run. Ichiro is a good example of how some of the best throwing arms belong to smaller players. Ichiro wasn't big and muscle-bound. He was small and wiry, yet he had the best arm of any outfielder of his era in MLB. Roberto Clemente is another case. He wasn't very big, but he may have had the best arm in MLB history. The only other player I know who had his first name on his uniform instead of his last name was Vida Blue. Vida started his career with the Oakland A's, who at the time were owned by Charlie Finley. Finley wanted Blue to change his first name to "True," so he could be billed as "True Blue." Blue was offended by this, not just because it would be ridiculous, but because "Vida" was an old family name. In response to Finley, Vida asked to have his first name on his uniform, and he got his way.

I'm from Detroit, but Ichiro is my favorite player of all time. I also am a big baseball card collector and aside from my normal collection ichiro is the only player who I specifically collect! loved this, Cheers guys!

Lifelong Angel's fan who loved watching Ichiro play!

Probably the best arm I've seen live.

Ichiro is the definition of Hall of Fame

You guys gotta watch the full highlight reel honestly. Best lead off hitter of all time. The guy is in his own stratosphere

I happened to be in Denver visiting friends and grabbed some tickets and got to see ichiros 3000th hit

wow incredible

I'd put him in the top 20 players of all time for sure. He was incredible and never had any controversy either. First ballot hall of famer for sure.

To answer the question about the next Japanese star coming up: Roki Sasaki. Probably the best pitcher Japan has ever produced (although he's still young). You guys would enjoy a video on him. He's pretty exciting to watch.

also remember he got he a bit later in his career, because he was playing in Japan. Him reaching 3k hits is more impressive, then someone who had been in the league their entire time.

How about a video on Miguel Cabrera's 2012 Triple Crown season. He led the league in Batting Average, Home Runs and Runs Batted In. Last done in 1967. Miguel is retiring after this year and is one of the greatest right handed hitters ever. Has over 3100 hits and 500 home runs for his career. One of the all time greats.

Hitting machine and great fielder

Definitely check out Roki Sasaki in the NPB right now. He can't come to the MLB for a few more seasons due to posting rules, but what he's done in his first few NPB seasons is incredible.

I grew up a Mariners fan and I always liked Edgar Martinez

Watching Japan in the WBC i was super impressed with Munetaka Murakami 6'2" 210Lbs 23yrs old can run and smash the ball probably see him in the BIGS in the next few yrs.

You asked who was the greatest Mariner and I initially would say Griffey since I was a teen when he played here and he had that great swing and hit dingers, but when you look at the numbers, man, Ichiro is by far the greatest of all time. Maybe Griffey and Edgar are my emotional favorites since they helped save baseball in Seattle in 1995, but Ichiro towers above them as far as consistency and greatness. Sad that the teams he was on never found success outside of his rookie season. Even then, they didn't make it to the World Series and considering how well they played during the season, we all hoped and expected them to get there.

Ichiro was the best; period. I was suprised that his greatest skill was not covered. The man was an absolute master of the bunt. Look up videos on that.