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

[@DNReacts]

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[@supersasukemaniac]

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.

[@DNReacts]

This is quality, great touch and glad he was able to do this

[@skogstokig128]

I went to those games! So much fun! I watched Ichiros entire career with the Mariners. I love him. Greatest hitter ever

[@girlwithaguitar24]

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.

[@exia0616]

Ichiro can turn on the power when needed, I remember him bottom of the 9th facing arguably one of the best closers in Mariano Rivera just hitting a no-doubter bomb to win the game.

[@ohshityoheadsgone]

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

[@dr3693]

every kid in seattle did that sleeve adjustment in little league too lmfao

[@illstreamthat]

Have you seen the history of the Seattle Mariners videos? There's always something missing from the only team to never PLAY in the World Series.

[@evanshields3997]

As an A’s fan, he’s my favorite player ever. My entire approach at the plate was based off his, and I used to have my Dad take me to A’s-Mariners games a few hours early so I could watch Ichiro take batting practice.

[@DNReacts]

That sounds awesome, I’m so pleased you got to experience that, must have been amazing with Ichiro there

[@freddiejupiter442]

Substitute Tony Gwynn and the Padres for me. Not having seen all of the great Negro League and other players of old, It would still be a great bet to say that Ichiro was the GOAT.

[@hughscottiv]

Roki Sasaki will likely set records for a transfer fee when he’s eligible. There are some good KZbin 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

[@Fred_Lougee]

Is he any relation to Kaz Sasaki, a.k.a. Daimajin?

[@nicolasbooth3363]

Munetaka Murakami as well on the batting side. I think he's having a down year, but he has crazy power!

[@shinra05]

Yoshinobu Yamamoto should this year as well better pitcher than Roki consistency wise and similar ceiling.

[@DNReacts]

Thanks for this 🤝 I’ve added Roki Sasaki to our watch list! It’s a huge watch list 😅 but would love to take a look at him as soon as we can.

[@hughscottiv]

@@DNReacts there is a good one called something like Why Roki Sasaki will break baseball

[@aTofuJunkie]

Ichiro is unanimously the most loved player of all time.

[@DNReacts]

Love this 🔥

[@aTofuJunkie]

@DNReacts Fun Fact: Out the 28 years he has been in Professional Baseball. Japanese and MLB he's only been ejected once. For drawing a line in the dirt on a Strike Call that was actually a Ball in the MLB. He had an uncanny hitter's eye.

[@Sid67Maximus]

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

[@DNReacts]

Thank you, really appreciate that 🙏

[@andrew_swanson]

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).

[@macdavidson3814]

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.

[@BillKrayer12thMan]

Well now thanks to the idjits in MLB management, the shift is illegal!!

[@DNReacts]

Really feel like I need to see more raw highlights from Ichiro. Appreciate the context and comment 🤝

[@hughscottiv]

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.

[@gtpflug2987]

True!

[@DNReacts]

Thanks for this info, appreciate it 🙏

[@legochickenguy4938]

the early 2000s were some pretty awesome years for baseball

[@zachfischer5291]

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!” 😂😂😂😂😂

[@darnell-mooney]

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.

[@chrisb.8758]

I was going to suggest they watch this series. I know it’s a lot, but it’s so good and as new baseball fans I think they’d really enjoy it

[@DNReacts]

Thanks for this one. It’s been heavily suggested. We’ve had a chat about how we could do this and fingers crossed we can maybe sort something out soon 🤞

[@JadenUnderwood13]

​@@DNReactsPlease do this it would be amazing!

[@benluecken2839]

@@DNReacts It would definitely be a commitment but I promise you guys won't regret it. Its been deemed as one of the greatest sports docuseries ever and even got nominated for awards by the New York Times, which is pretty damn impressive for a KZbin series. I won't go into too much detail cause I know you guys have heard about it a million times but I guarantee it'll be one of the be on of, if not the, best things you will react to! (Also, the Ichiro episode is about alot more than just Ichiro, so it's not like you guys will just be reacting to a repeat topic if that's something you guys were ocncerned about)

[@doctorSpitfire]

​@@DNReactsprobably not all in one sitting nearly 4 hours would be rough, especially if you pause to comment. It did originally release in 6 parts and I think people gloss over that fact a lot when recommending it.

[@BenFitter]

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.

[@lowfuel6089]

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!

[@DNReacts]

This is awesome. Love that he’s stayed on with the Mariners to do some coaching. Thanks for this info

[@Donna-e2y]

I like to say he is the special assistant in charge of being Ichiro. More fitting title IMO.

[@ahtartersauce101]

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

[@deadmeat_0152]

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

[@emsolo]

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 KZbin.

[@DNReacts]

Definitely feel like I need to see more raw highlights of Ichiro Sukuzi. Thanks for the comment, really appreciate it 🤝

[@lg8828]

every time me and my buddies talk about best hitters Ichiro's my pick. Dude hit 3000 after turning 27. Had he been able to come in the league younger i have no doubt he would be the all-time hits leader for MLB, then also being an absolute black hole in the outfield with an arm that doesnt feel like it should be on a guy his size. He could really do it all, really wish he was a Cardinal though we would have loved him.

[@MDK2_Radio]

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.

[@RonnieG]

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.

[@BendyDH]

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

[@Dillon__Morris]

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

[@MDK2_Radio]

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.

[@Sandul666]

But having ichiro and Edgar on the same team definitely helped the 2001 team a lot

[@MDK2_Radio]

@@Sandul666 oh yes it did. Edgar was the heart of the team.

[@warrendavis9262]

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.

[@macdavidson3814]

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.

[@hughscottiv]

It helped that they had three of the best pitchers in baseball that year too…

[@colinryan4737]

​@@hughscottivI'm fairly certain they obtained 2/3 of those pitchers using this tactic tho. So his point still stands

[@Fly-The-W]

@@hughscottiv Exactly, and the MVP. I love the movie but they completely leave out how good of players they actually had on the team and make it seem like it was all a bunch of random guys.

[@RatBrain]

Yall I think they made a whole movie about that...

[@ScottServais-poet]

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

[@BigMoore1232]

I learned how to bat left handed as a kid because of watching Ken griffey jr. That swing was a masterpiece. I switch hit through high school because of that man.

[@BeefPapa]

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

[@DNReacts]

Thank you, appreciate this 🤝

[@thezist3353]

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

[@andrewlipkin7127]

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.

[@aTofuJunkie]

But one thing is clear Ichiro's father clearly taught him discipline and determination.

[@davidn5269]

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 KZbin, 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.

[@DNReacts]

Had lots of suggestions for this, thank you for posting. Due to its length, we’ve had a chat about how we could do this! Hopefully something we can sort out soon 🤞

[@GAlvarado]

​@@DNReactslooking forward to it boys! Can't wait, you will definitely enjoy it and so will we!

[@consistenc51]

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.

[@Donna-e2y]

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 🙃

[@federicothompson2299]

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

[@mlongosky33]

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).

[@kafkakaraoke]

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.

[@misterkite]

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.

[@Trillyana]

Funner fact: he wasn't even the firstborn son in his family. Imagine how his older brother feels

[@madafaka4315]

Not really. The ro in Ichiro is written as 朗, which has the meaning of sunny, happy and cheerful.

[@zacharyliles8657]

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

[@rowlofobro2]

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.

[@m1lkbags]

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

[@waffleking6871]

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.

[@robtintelnot9107]

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

[@colinaudette291]

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.

[@ShunnedRogue604]

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

[@loganpocius4836]

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.

[@cam_brown2840]

Yoshinobo Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki are two generational pitching talents

[@trnsfr9014]

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

[@tdsportscards]

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

[@LiveFromThePorcelainPalace]

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.

[@imyerf5382]

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

[@coreykarabin6600]

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.

[@Ozai75]

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.

[@GAlvarado]

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.

[@a00141799]

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!! ♥

[@DNReacts]

Thank you Rich! Really glad you enjoyed this one! What an incredible player! Loved watching this one!

[@shinra05]

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

[@S0D0M0J0]

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!

[@rodneysisco6364]

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 .

[@MDK2_Radio]

He didn’t need a strong bat. Can you imagine if he had come to Seattle in 1998, when they still had Randy Johnson, Junior, and a still-clean A-Rod, along with Edgar and Buehner? That could have started a dynasty and a great rivalry with the Yankees. Ichiro leading off, four genuine power hitters (two of them all time greats) behind him, and Randy keeping everyone else in line? Plus Ichiro’s defense to go with those guys. The mind boggles. Those guys who all left before would never have walked or been traded.

[@aTofuJunkie]

He had power. He just didn't use it. If you factor in that HRs equate nothing to the game than a quick K or out, you start to see that productive base hits help the team more than a power bat. You get less outs, you load the bases for a potential power bat, you get a better AVG, better OBP, and you get fielders cheating in, helping players who hit for power get an easy knock.

[@brooke_reiverrose2949]

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.

[@Stacey_-bf2mb]

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

[@Flernaffinor]

Ichiro is one of my favorites of all time!

[@derrickriggins4453]

One of my favorite athletes of any sports

[@Ohyeahjiful]

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!

[@hughscottiv]

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.

[@downrighttt]

It’s always looked so efficient to me. Dudes like Adam Dunn and Chris Davis are up there hacking with a piece of lumber, Ichiro was surgically meeting and placing the ball with a tool

[@peterandjunko]

Thanks for recommending this book. I read it in the 90s and had forgotten the title and author. It’s an excellent book which is a great primer to learn about Japanese baseball.

[@MichaelRivera-ns2dd]

Lifelong Angel's fan who loved watching Ichiro play!

[@Shiby23]

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.

[@andytoshio]

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.

[@philgoad5587]

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.

[@jayminbernhardt4952]

Absolutely

[@mlongosky33]

It's becoming a yearly watch for me

[@DNReacts]

Had lots of suggestions for this, thank you for posting. Due to its length, we’ve had a chat about how we could do this! Hopefully something we can sort out soon 🤞

[@lex4111]

Ichiro is the definition of Hall of Fame

[@-EchoesIntoEternity-]

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

[@DNReacts]

Seen him mentioned quite a lot in the comments, thanks for this. Added him to the watch list 🙏

[@rogerdodger9752]

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.

[@coyotelong4349]

What about the Taiwanese league?

[@georgeprchal3924]

Probably the best arm I've seen live.

[@stevedietrich8936]

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.

[@dillanwalker4806]

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

[@mathewcaldwell4108]

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.

[@SeenGod]

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 👍

[@mirantilin]

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.

[@patriotman1284]

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

[@DNReacts]

Thank you, really appreciate the support 🤝

[@leibmenter2331]

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!

[@NoUploadJustComment]

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.

[@toughtimes4paco]

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.

[@arnoldcox9128]

Ichiro was like a video game player

[@vincenzofrancis9015]

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

[@areguapiri]

Ricky Henderson

[@vincenzofrancis9015]

@@areguapiri yeah maybe. He has the edge in steals & runs by a margin. Higher OPS & OBP. That doesn’t account for his NPB stats though which is something to consider. For me also the awe/respect/teammate factor of actually having that guy in your locker room would play a role. Personality makes a big difference. I have no qualms if you plug Rickey Henderson into your all time fantasy starting lineup…I would just pick Ichiro Suzuki #51 in mine. Thanks 🙏 ⚾️

[@samforsyth]

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!

[@DNReacts]

You’re welcome and thank you 🙏

[@bernardmayles6564]

Hitting machine and great fielder

[@ScottServais-poet]

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.

[@paulyd2406]

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 😀

[@DJLOFT52]

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😂

[@bke8073]

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

[@Jeff_Lichtman]

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.

[@brettg274]

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.

[@Pete_Finch]

The inexplicable Seattle following always kills me (in a good way) 😂

[@abducteeofearth1703]

Yes. Yes they were impressed. 😄

[@Cornan1980]

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.

[@creature1273]

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.

[@zacharyliles8657]

He'll always be my hit king

[@Hessen84]

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

[@MDK2_Radio]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED - GAAAAAAAAAR That was so much fun at the Kingdome. Those calls from the fans tended to die in the heavy open air at Safeco Field, just like the fly balls did.

[@hipzipper1]

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.

[@nathanwolfshohl8377]

wow incredible

[@Regdor]

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.

[@MountainMeat]

Man just a career Ichiro highlights video would be awesome

[@2wrig777]

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

[@fenjiman4294]

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.