He was a goddamn special player to watch in his prime, and he was one of the few bright spots when the Mariners churned out forgettable team after . \n","providerName":"Twitter","providerUrl":"https://twitter.com","type":"rich","width":550},"type":"oembed"},{"__typename":"Markdown","content":"Ichiro is the first member added since 2015, and he joined an exclusive group that includes nine other members (in order of induction): Alvin Davis, Dave Niehaus, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, Dan Wilson, Ken Griffey Jr., Lou Piniella and Jamie Moyer, with all in attendance except Johnson and Piniella. So when fellow Mariner great Ken Griffey Jr. had to chase down Ichiros hit off the wall in right field during the 2007 All-Star Game in San Francisco, there was pretty much no chance of keeping him from scoring on the play. That is when fans started to pay attention to Ichiro., Pretty soon, everyone was paying attention to Ichiro. Visit MLB.com: http://mlb.mlb.comSubscribe to MLB.TV: mlb.tvDownload MLB.com At Bat: http://mlb.mlb.com/mobile/atbatGet tickets: http://mlb.mlb.com/ticketsOfficial MLB Merchandise: http://mlb.mlb.com/shop Join the conversation!Twitter: http://twitter.com/mlbFacebook: http://facebook.com/mlbInstagram: http://instagram.com/mlbGoogle+: https://plus.google.com/+MLBTumblr: http://drawntomlb.com/Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/MLBAM pic.twitter.com/NHiJ6PWM4P. I could never imagine my career in America would last 19 seasons and that I would still be in Seattle today.. Former Mariners Alvin Davis, Jay Buhner, and team announcer Dave Niehaus of the Seattle Mariners throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game on. 51 for the Mariners, in front of a home crowd at Safeco Field, Ichiro beat Johnson to first base on an infield single to lead off the bottom of the first inning. October 2, 1995: On the Map. If they're not careful he'll take third too. That was pretty crazy., Throughout the summer, the Mariners also took advantage of their geographic location, catering to Japanese fans with weekend ticket packages and accommodations. **For the best user experience, we recommend disabling the Reddit redesign. All these moments combined are only some of the reasons he is being inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame this weekend. Mariners superstar Julio Rodrguez is in the spotlight as one of MLB's top players. ROOT Sports analyst Mike Blowers talked to Bob, Groz and Tom about Lewis and what makes him stand out. During Suzuki's first month in the majors in 2001 . From the beginning: Hired to be the Mariners' play-by-play voice for their first season in 1977, Niehaus witnessed 5,284 of the team's 5,385 games. Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) was formed and charged with developing, building and managing the most comprehensive baseball experience available on the internet. His defensive acumen and acrobaticshis speed, arm strength, and daring pursuit angles on fly ballsearned him a Gold Glove award in right field. He needed just 15 years to meet a milestone that is pretty much automatic admission to Cooperstown. If I started a game against him, the day before they want to talk to you, after the game they want to talk to you, the next day they want to talk to you, Mulder says. Mariners outfielder Kyle Lewis hit his fifth home run in eight games in the big leagues on Wednesday. Dave "The Groz" Grosby will finish up his 29-year career as a daily Seattle sports radio host on Friday from noon to 3 p.m. on 710 ESPN Seattle's Bob, Groz and Tom. **For the best user experience, we recommend disabling the Reddit redesign. Holy shit. 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. That brought up pinch hitter Ramon Hernandez, who delivered a ground ball base hit to right. Paraphrasing the writer in his 2021 book Tokyo Junkie, Whiting explains this stemmed from an inability to prevail in international sports events, save for the odd marathon or judo triumph. pic.twitter.com/2FgBfpmIV2. More >. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, The subreddit for the bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players. 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. Major League Baseball consists of 30 teams split between the American and National Leagues. Enfranchised in 1977, the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League.Safeco Field, now T-Mobile Park has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July 1999.From their 1977 inception until June 1999, the club's home park was the Kingdome. Ichiro finished the year with 262 hits, a record that nobody has come close to touching since. He would take it and place it in a spot where it would not be disturbed while they were hitting., Boone compared his personality to Ichiros like oil and water, but says from a sense of humor standpoint, we actually have a lot of similarities. Throughout the year, Boone often made fun of Ichiro for polishing his glove and making sure it was clean and pristine, while the infielder tossed his own leather on the dugout steps between innings. I was treated like some kind of guest royalty. Thus, over the next few years, Colborn found it easy to court Ichiro, bringing him jerseys of Griffey Jr., his favorite player. Do you know who had the second highest? He was the lead playbyplay announcer for the American League's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in 1977 until his death after the 2010 season. MLB.com also provides an array of mobile apps for fans to choose from, including At Bat, the highest-grossing iOS sports app of all-time. Carrying all of the responsibilities that came with being the first Japanese-born MLB position player, he never wavered. He charged the ball and he threw a bullet to home plate and I did a double take. During one season, Colborn remembers Ichiro swinging just 11 times over a four-game series, and barreling the ball on every swing. Hed come in the clubhouse [and] he did the same thing right in a row, McLaren says. Ichiro came up throwing, and no one who saw it or heard Dave Niehaus memorable call will ever forget it. In the bottom of the inning, Aaron Sele was inching closer to a shutout when Oakland center fielder Terrence Long led off with a single. This was most apparent during the 2001 All-Star Game in Seattle, when he told National League manager Bobby Valentine, Were going to kick your ass shortly after being introduced as the ALs leadoff hitter. When I threw a good split down and away, or when I threw a good sinker in, or when I threw a curveball down over the plate, he found a way to hit that ball harder than anyone else that I would face, says Mulder, who gave up 17 hits to Ichiro in 38 career encounters. The Mariners were off to a good start in 2001 despite having lost Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. in back-to-back seasons. Check out http://m.mlb.com/video for our full archive of v. George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns had 257 hits for the St. Louis Browns in 1920, setting a . It was stuff like that that I could pass on to help convince them, Colborn says of the Seattle execs. After returning home for dinner and schoolwork, hed work in the batting cage from 9:30 to 11. What are you going to do now?, By then, MLB clubs couldnt afford to not have Pacific Rim scouts navigating both Japan and Korea. I think Ichiro and Matsui broke the ice, and from the Japanese players point of view, they wanted to come over here too, and prove they could play in the highest league in the world, Hendry says. What sets Mariners OF Kyle Lewis apart from other prospects. 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. Most days, I still wear the Mariners uniform, and I do so proudly, Ichiro said. I thought to myself if this is customary in America, I might not make it here. Ichiro set the single-season record for most hits (262) in a season in 2004, breaking Hall of . This is when America really took notice of Ichiros talent. But . Related: Groz Remembers: Ichiro's 'Star Wars' throw in 2001 2. That was the difference. Improve yourself, find your inspiration . 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. Subscribe to Stathead , the set of tools used by the pros, to unearth this and other interesting factoids. Hes baseballs all-time hit king, was named to 10 straight American League All-Star teams, and is one of only two players ever to win MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season. Id never faced a guy who was a better bad ball hitter., The torrid start only made Ichiros spotlight brighter, especially in Japan. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. A laser beam, barely 10 feet off the ground, reached third baseman David Bell on the fly with Long a good five feet from the bag. He broke records, rebranded the Mariners into must-see TV, and proved that international players could not only succeed in MLB, but also become the face of the entire sport. Associated Press. After his 2001 debut, it seemed like it would be only a matter of time until he became the new single-season hit king. The influence of people like Ichiro and Matsui raised the reputation of Japanese fielders. Earlier in the decade, Hendry had leaned on Pacific Rim scout Leon Lee to take the temperature of players eligible to be posted, and as the franchises international staff expanded, he found Fukudome fit a need in right field. Remember, we won 116 games that year. **, Press J to jump to the feed. He hit in the batting cage underneath and he ran around the concourse in the upper deck for his running, Colborn recalls, laughing. [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. the Mariners did not say who would throw out the ceremonial first pitch. MLB.com also offers extensive historical information and footage, online ticket sales, official baseball merchandise, authenticated memorabilia and collectibles and fantasy games. Game after game, the Mariners skipper had watched Ichiro Suzuki slap and bloop and pepper fastballs everywhere between left field and the third-base dugout. 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 . I was shocked. What happened next was not only the greatest rookie season in baseball historyit was a glimpse at both the past and future of the sport. I feel like ending is so important, Ichiro said. What anyone who saw that throw that night or the next morning . Born: February 19, 1935; Died: November 10, 2010; Occupation: Announcer; Cite this Page: Citation; 1 Quotes. 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