Ichiro: Shining out of Japan 引"郎"入室，一棒定江山
Baseball may be known as America's favorite pastime, but the truth is Americans do not have a monopoly on the game. The popularity of baseball has spread with the American empire and is now played in ballparks from Toronto to Taipei, from Seattle to Seoul. And ever since the major leagues allowed non-whites to play, some of the best players in the game have come from outside the United States.
So why all the fuss about one Japanese player Ichiro Suzuki (just plain "Ichiro" to his fans) joining the American League and playing outfield for the Seattle Mariners. Maybe part of it is the inherent human dislike of change. Every major innovation in baseball has brought howls of derision and protest from fans, players, and critics; having an all-star player from Japan play in the major leagues represents change.
However, there is also the inherent nationalistic pride that Americans feel about their game, their players, and their league. Japan was supposed to be the place where American professional players went when they could not make it in the big leagues; Japan was never supposed to be the place where major league all-star players came from.
So one should not be surprised at the reaction generated by "Ichiro the Hero" when he signed a contract to play for "America's Baseball Team, the Seattle Mariners. In one fell swoop,it seemed, he changed everything Americans believed about baseball.
Ichiro Suzuki was born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on October 22, 1973. By the time he got to high school, he was already playing in Japan's national baseball championship. After high school, he was drafted by the Orix Blue Waves of the Pacific League and played with them for the next nine years.
While with the Blue Waves, Ichiro set individual records left and right and won seven batting titles in a row. The three-time Most Valuable Player also helped his team win the league championship title in 1998. For the kid from the sticks, this was the big time. Still, he dreamed of playing in the majors.
Then, last year, the Seattle Mariners did a US$28 million deal with the Blue Waves to get Ichiro. Despite the protests from fans and sports writers that Japanese players could not cut it in America, Seattle obviously thought the deal made sense. They needed a player who could score on the field and score with the fans. In Ichiro, it seemed, they would get what they needed.
So how has the diminutive Ichiro fared in the big American show? His .350-plus batting average and multi-game hitting streaks have made him an all star and silenced most of his critics, his fielding has made him a regular feature on TV sports highlight shows; and his fan appeal has made the Mariners' owners very, very happy.
Not bad for a small Japanese import.
