Ichiro Suzuki the former Seattle Mariners star started a huge following for Asian players in MLB. Ichiro is on the cusp of being voted in the MLB Hall of Fame. Here is Ichiro addressing the media on Fri Aug 26, 2022 the day before he was inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame. Ichiro will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2025 (AP News file photo)

2023 Asian Winter in Baseball

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Since the 2022 World Series ended and until today, some of the most coveted and expensive free agents in the game are players like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshiubo Yamamoto, both Japanese, who signed with the Dodgers and shelled 1 Billion dollars total for both players. ($1 Billion US dollars is equal to 141,613,142,860 Japanese Yen)

Also, Jung Hoo Lee, a South Korean outfielder who signed with the San Francisco Giants; Masataka Yoshida with the Boston Red Sox; and Yuki Matsui, who signed with the San Diego Padres from the Japanese professional leagues.

Not signed yet: From Japan, the two free agents are Shota Imanaga, a lefty-control pitcher, and Naoyuki Uwasawa, a right-handed pitcher. Uwasaka was not even posted yet.

-The West Coast a Pioneer to Asian players:

-Japan: The first Japanese player was pitcher Masanori Murakami, who was with the San Francisco Giants. However, after just 2 years, the connection of players from Japan to the major leagues was closed

-South Korea: In 1994, Chan Ho Park, a pitcher, became the first Korean-born player to p[play in the major leagues.

The most impactful player from Asia?  Ichiro Suzuki played from 2001 to 2019 with the Seattle Mariners: a lead-off hitter-outfielder, great contact hitter, and tremendous throwing arm from right field. Ichiro had 200 or more hits in ten consecutive seasons with the Mariners from 2001 to 2010.

Ended his career with 3,089 hits and .311 average. He will be the first Asian player inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York. No other Asian baseball player has played for this long and enjoyed this much success.

During my years calling Mariners games for Spanish radio in Seattle, I met Ichiro when he first came into the major leagues from Japan; a hard worker and eccentric player, he would carry his favorite bats inside a particular case like a great violinist carries a Stradivarius.

Ichiro was very reserved as a player, some say, shy; I did interview him a few times with one of his interpreters. I would answer the question in English to his interpreter, who would then ask him in Japanese, and he (the interpreter) would return the answer in English to me.

Later, I would take the tape upstairs to my broadcast booth to edit for my pre-game show. It was exciting. One of the most curious answers he ever gave me was when I asked him if he learned any words in Spanish, and it was ‘peligroso’, which means ‘dangerous’. I later learned that he was ‘miked’ during a  live game that was nationally televised and said a word that he did not mean to say.

On October 1, 2004, Ichiro Suzuki broke George Sisler’s single-season record with a  258th hit. I called that game; it was one of Ichiro’s greatest accomplishments. That season Ichiro ended with 262 hits.

Quote: If I’m in a slump, I ask myself for advice  -Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro will not be eligible for the Hall of Fame until 2025.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com