Ichiro Suzuki went 0 for 4 the day Felix Hernandez made his debut for the Seattle Mariners in 2005. But that is not how Hernandez remembers it. To him, Suzuki might as well have batted 1.000.
“Every time he came up to the plate was a hit,” Hernandez said by his locker on Tuesday at the Peoria Sports Complex. “It was exciting. He could do a lot of things on the field.”
Suzuki, 44, will soon return officially to the Mariners’ clubhouse, where he already has a locker stall, a stack of mail and his old No. 51 jersey waiting for him. The Mariners have not announced their contract agreement, but it is an open secret that Suzuki, a former American League most valuable player who took his physical in Seattle on Monday, is coming back.
About 10 miles down Bell Road, at the Texas Rangers’ complex in Surprise, another former superstar has also found a home. Tim Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner for the San Francisco Giants, worked out with the Rangers on Tuesday after agreeing to a contract.
The Rangers were awaiting the results of a physical exam before officially clearing a roster space for Lincecum, who attended the funeral of his older brother, Sean, last weekend. The Rangers plan to use Lincecum, 33, as a reliever, but they do not know exactly what they have. (...)
In their primes, Suzuki and Lincecum were undersized marvels: Both 5 feet 11 inches and less than 180 pounds, their bodies seemingly made of elastic. Suzuki slashed and dashed in one motion as he bolted from the batter’s box. Lincecum twisted and whirled and launched his body at hitters, an impossibly long stride helping generate extraordinary power.
Suzuki’s M.V.P. rookie season in 2001 coincided with the last playoff appearance by the Mariners, whose postseason drought is now the longest of any team in baseball, the N.F.L., the N.B.A. or the N.H.L.
Seattle traded Suzuki to the Yankees in 2012, and in the last five seasons he has hit just .263. This version of Suzuki may not help much, but the nostalgia is palpable.
“Everywhere you go, people love him,” second baseman Robinson Cano said, who played with Suzuki on the Yankees. “He’s the man here. The things that he did here, it was something I don’t think anybody’s ever done.”
The résumé is remarkable, indeed: In each season from 2001 through 2010, Suzuki collected at least 200 hits while batting above .300, winning a Gold Glove and being named an All-Star. He has 3,080 hits in the majors and 1,278 in Japan.
“Last year, in the second half, he hit pretty good,” Hernandez said, referring to Suzuki’s .299 average for Miami after the All-Star break. “I tell you, man, he’s not gonna come over here and not produce. He’s gonna hit.”
“Every time he came up to the plate was a hit,” Hernandez said by his locker on Tuesday at the Peoria Sports Complex. “It was exciting. He could do a lot of things on the field.”
Suzuki, 44, will soon return officially to the Mariners’ clubhouse, where he already has a locker stall, a stack of mail and his old No. 51 jersey waiting for him. The Mariners have not announced their contract agreement, but it is an open secret that Suzuki, a former American League most valuable player who took his physical in Seattle on Monday, is coming back.About 10 miles down Bell Road, at the Texas Rangers’ complex in Surprise, another former superstar has also found a home. Tim Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner for the San Francisco Giants, worked out with the Rangers on Tuesday after agreeing to a contract.
The Rangers were awaiting the results of a physical exam before officially clearing a roster space for Lincecum, who attended the funeral of his older brother, Sean, last weekend. The Rangers plan to use Lincecum, 33, as a reliever, but they do not know exactly what they have. (...)
In their primes, Suzuki and Lincecum were undersized marvels: Both 5 feet 11 inches and less than 180 pounds, their bodies seemingly made of elastic. Suzuki slashed and dashed in one motion as he bolted from the batter’s box. Lincecum twisted and whirled and launched his body at hitters, an impossibly long stride helping generate extraordinary power.
Suzuki’s M.V.P. rookie season in 2001 coincided with the last playoff appearance by the Mariners, whose postseason drought is now the longest of any team in baseball, the N.F.L., the N.B.A. or the N.H.L.
Seattle traded Suzuki to the Yankees in 2012, and in the last five seasons he has hit just .263. This version of Suzuki may not help much, but the nostalgia is palpable.
“Everywhere you go, people love him,” second baseman Robinson Cano said, who played with Suzuki on the Yankees. “He’s the man here. The things that he did here, it was something I don’t think anybody’s ever done.”
The résumé is remarkable, indeed: In each season from 2001 through 2010, Suzuki collected at least 200 hits while batting above .300, winning a Gold Glove and being named an All-Star. He has 3,080 hits in the majors and 1,278 in Japan.
“Last year, in the second half, he hit pretty good,” Hernandez said, referring to Suzuki’s .299 average for Miami after the All-Star break. “I tell you, man, he’s not gonna come over here and not produce. He’s gonna hit.”
by Tyler Kepner, NY Times | Read more:
Image: uncredited
[ed. Ichiro is back with the Mariners!]
