Thursday, September 6, 2012

Ichiro. Wrong places and times

Ichiro Suzuki, currently of the New York Yankees, has an amazing history. In several ways, he's one of the most gifted athletes to ever play professional baseball, yet in another, he almost seems cursed.

In 1992, Suzuki broke into pro ball in his native Japan when he was only 18 years old. Despite it quickly becoming evident his multi-dimensional skills were off the charts, it would take him nine years before he ever got a crack at the "big leagues" in America. That was certainly due in large part to how the Japanese professional baseball hierarchy all but squashed "free agency" amongst their own teams, let alone players being allowed to defect abroad for greener pastures. However, it should also be noted that Major League Baseball, for the most part back then, still thought of Japanese players as being inferior. While MLB had come to acknowledge the talents of black and latino players several decades before, welcoming them with open arms -- the bias against Asians seemed to persist. Finally, despite certain attitudes and ways on both sides of the Pacific Ocean -- Ichiro Suzuki was given a chance to see how he would fare in the Major Leagues. The Seattle Mariners took a chance on what would then be a 27 year old rookie.

It might be fairly said that most Americans have never heard of the Orix Blue Wave of the Japanese Pacific League, where Ichiro spent all those early years. Of course, it's also likely many Americans think Arsenal has something to do with a rifle rack, Ronaldo is the clown at Mickey D's franchises in Italy, and isn't Orix where those handy-dandy lightweight vacuum cleaners come from?

Nevertheless, while being blessed with phenomenal skills, Ichiro would never be recognized as a world champion while still in Japan. Wrong place at the wrong time. On to the big leagues.

It didn't ake him long in Seattle to pick up right where he left off in Japan. In his rookie year, he led the American League in batting average (.350), hits (242), stolen bases (56), and was not only a no-brainer for AL Rookie of the Year, but also was named the MVP of the league. For the decade playing for the Mariners, Ichiro would post ridiculous hitting numbers. Ten years in a row of over 200 hits, an all-time MLB record, including 262 in 2004, also an all-time MLB record. His defensive abilities were no less spectacular. Over those same 10 seasons, he won a Gold Glove -- every year. No, he wasn't Ruthian or Aaronesque with power hitting stats, but during that time he had something else going for him as well. Though only 5' 11'' and a scant 170 lbs., it was generally acknowledged Ichiro had the best "arm" in the major leagues. Not only incredibly strong, but deadly accurate with his throws. Opposing baserunners quickly learned that trying to take an "extra base" was a bad idea, and when tagging up on fly balls hit to Suzuki, those balls better be plenty deep, or else they could get gunned down as well.

Yet, while he was making millions of dollars playing for the Mariners, it was, after all, still Seattle, a beautiful city with much to offer, and definitely a major step up from the Japanese Pacific League, but still a small market team in the major leagues. The Mariners have never been to a World Series in their entire history, let alone won it.  They've certainly featured some major talents over the years, (see Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., A-Rod, etc.) but couldn't hold on to them when other teams with big bucks and a chance for glory came-a-calling.

Ichiro saw some come, and some go, but remained loyal to the Mariners for 12 seasons. He also likely knew he would never become a world champion while there either. Wrong place and, so far, there hasn't been a right time for the Mariners.


Approaching 39 years old, and with his future contract status in doubt for the Mariners, Ichiro asked to be traded. The Mariners obliged and sent him to the NY Yankees for a couple minor league pitchers. Finally, Suzuki had a chance at the glory that eluded him for so many years. It was the Bronx Bombers. They're always in the hunt for yet another title, money be damned. To boot, the Yankees were cruising along with about a 10 game lead in the AL East division at the time. The playoffs were a given and maybe, just maybe, Ichiro could finally become a champion.

Fast forward a month and a half later, and that 10 game lead is gone. The Baltimore Orioles, who were supposed to eventually fade, but stubbornly refuse to, are staring the Yanks in the eyes for the division championship, with the pesky Tampa Bay Rays nipping at both their heels. If the Yankees don't right their ship fairly soon, it's entirely possible they could miss the playoffs altogether. If that were to happen, no doubt somewhere the ghost of George Steinbrenner would fire a few of his suboordinate spooks, but once again, Ichiro would find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Ichiro Suzuki has been a magnificent baseball player for 20+ years. Good grief, the man has over 2500 hits in the major leagues and he wasn't even given a chance until he was 27 years old. Theoretically throw in those 9 missed seasons while still in Japan at 200 hits a year, if anything likely a conservative estimate, and he'd be approaching Ty Cobb or Pete Rose numbers. He's been that good with the bat. Still, American baseball fans are home-run happy. For some reason, they'd rather worship big brutes that can hit the ball into the bleachers, even though many have Roberto Duran's "hands of stone" defensively, weak and inaccurate throwing arms, can be timed with a sun dial running the bases, and obviously spend more time working on fancy handshakes and/or on-field celebrations than practicing other facets of the game.

Ichiro was never into all that nonsense. Besides God-given talent, the man worked his butt off learning how to do the small things in baseball to near perfection. Here's an example of an American player's egotistical tunnel vision -- consider a power-hitting left-handed batter that is known to be a "pull" hitter, but also a slow runner. The opposing infielders put the "shift" on, where the second baseman plays a shallow right field, the shortstop moves over to the right field side of second base, and the third baseman basically becomes a shortstop. It's like Abbott and Costello's famous routine. "I don't know" is covering third base -- as in nobody home. If the brute at bat would ever take the time to learn how to bunt, he could push one down the third base line and hop on one foot down to first base with a single. But they won't do that, because they're too power hungry. In their minds, and amazingly in the minds of their managers as well, it's OK to sacrifice a few automatic singles, as long as they blast one 450 feet every 5 or 6 games or so. It's incredibly counterproductive in the long run, but nobody seems to care.

Ichiro did. Put that same shift on him, and he'd bat 1.000. And it's not like he didn't have some major pop in his bat if he chose to use it. Consider the following assessment from a very knowledgable baseball person ---

Sportswriter Bruce Jenkins, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, described Ichiro's distinctive style of play:
"There's nobody like Ichiro in either league—now or ever. He exists strictly within his own world, playing a game 100 percent unfamiliar to everyone else. The game has known plenty of 'slap' hitters, but none who sacrifice so much natural ability for the sake of the art... Ichiro, a man of wondrous strength, puts on impressive power-hitting displays almost nightly in batting practice. And he'll go deep occasionally in games, looking very much like someone who could do it again, often... [but] the man lives for hits, little tiny ones, and the glory of standing atop the world in that category. Every spring, scouts or media types write him off, swearing that opposing pitchers have found the key, and they are embarrassingly wrong."

Indeed, Ichiro has come a long way from Orix in Japan, to arguably the pinnacle of baseball in the Bronx. But Suzuki's closing in fast on 40 years old, and if the Yankees keep slip-sliding away this year, perhaps once again Ichiro will have found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sometimes it's just not meant to be. Alas.

 

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