The official "Japan Night" at Safeco Firld is not for another month, but it might as well have been Wed, June 27, when the visiting Boston Red Sox faced off against the Seattle Mariners. More than 43,000 fans came out for the main attraction: the Red Sox's new pitching ace Daisuke "Dice-K" Matsuzaka vs. the Mariner's superstar, Ichiro Suzuki.
The game marked the first time the two had met in Seattle, and the third time since Matsuzaka joined the major leagues this year. In a now-famous quote give to the Seattle Times earlier this season, Ichiro said, "I hope he arouses the fire that's dormant in the innermost recesses of my soul. I plan to face him with the zeal of a challenger." However, Matsuzaka clearly had gotten the better of Ichiro in the previous meeting, holding him to 0-for-5 with two walks and strikeout.
Ichiro showed why he is considered a great defensive player, using his exceptional speed to catch eleven balls in center field. He generated a third of the total outs recorded against Boston over the course of the game, including all three in the seventh inning.
Ichiro and the Mariners ended up the winners on this day over Matsuzaka and the Red Sox, with a hard-fought 2-1 victory three-game series. Yet the real winners were surely the fans on hand, who witnessed an unforgettable game from two great Japanese players.
Both of them are excellent players, but of course I favor Ichiro much more than Matsuzaka. Now, Ichiro is at in a center of attraction. Ichiro's sharp fielding, speedy base running and skillful batting have helped baseball fan appreciate that there is more to baseball than just home runs.
I think about the key to Ichiro's success. One is his stance of humility. He never became bigheaded. Another one is his sensible diet. My friend who is in Seattle said she sometimes see Ichiro's wife in Uwajimaya( a big famous Asian grocery store.) She always buy many fresh Japanese stuff. Maybe Ichiro's wife support him physically by serving nourishing meals.
Moreover, I am happy about Ichiro Suzuki signing a five-year contract extension!
2 comments:
I too am happy about him signing a 5 year extension contract. He is going to be making so much money, I think I read with the signing bonus it was $90 million. When you mentioned his humility as a reason for his sucess I think that was a great way to describe things I have read and heard about him. Just about this recent contract extension, he wasn't going to the press and bragging about the money aspect of it. He said they would hear the details eventually, but he was there to play baseball. I loved that. I don't like it when big sports stars care more about the money then the game, and I don't think he does. Also, I love how you credit his wife for helping with his success.
I am both surprised and happy that Ichiro is showing such loyalty to the team that made him a star. This is something that has not happened to the Mariners. I also believe that the Japanese interest in both Dice K and Ichiro is good for the game of baseball nationally and internationally.
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