04.16.08
A Hero for Us
As baseball is celebrating the 61st anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, we also should take time to reflect and appreciate the Asian baseball pioneer Ichiro Suzuki.
While Ichiro may not be the first Asian player in Major League Baseball, he was the first position player. The first Asian players and still the majority of Asian players that enter the major leagues are pitchers. Though pitchers perhaps requires the most refined skills in all of baseball, they do not encompass the real essence of what a ball player is thought to be. When you think of baseball you think of the players that take the field everyday and grind out the long season. The true legends of the baseball are all hitters, the ones who hit the tape measure homeruns or the clutch hit to seal the win. It is the hitters that get remembered and there is no hitter quite like Ichiro.
From the beginning Ichiro has defied traditional baseball logic. Ichiro is the only player to have his first name on the back of his jersey, he thrives on getting singles in an era where power is prized, he swings with an unorthodox motion that requires exceptional bat control. The spring training before his first season in the U.S. his manager, Lou Piniella, questioned if he could hit major league pitching. Ichiro answered that question by collecting more hits than any rookie ever, earning the American League batting title, winning the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player awards and leading the Seattle Mariners to a record tying 116 regular season wins.
In the seven seasons he has played in the majors, Ichiro already left his mark on the history of baseball and has become an undeniable superstar. He has won a gold glove award every season for his impeccable defense and astounding arm strength and accuracy. He has been voted to the All Star team each year. He is accumulating hits faster than any player in history. In 2004 he broke the 84 year old single season hit record by Hall of Famer George Sisler. A record that has stood longer than any homerun record ever had. He is currently on his way to tying the record for most consecutive seasons with 200 or more hits. Ichiro is not just a player, not just a superstar, he is becoming a legend.
Ichiro has challenged the perceptions of Asians in baseball and Asians in general. His accomplishments on the field have forced people to acknowledge his abilities and has demonstrated to other Asians that they can compete with the best in the world. His application of rigorous ideals and discipline have given legitimacy to Eastern Philosophies in a Western domain. But perhaps the most remarkable impact was seen during the Little League World Series soon after he entered Major League Baseball. When a team of predominantly Caucasian boys was asked who was their favorite baseball player they repeatedly answered: Ichiro Suzuki. He has forever affected the perception of Asians within the youth of America. These young boys were idolizing him; an Asian man.
For years Americans have seen Asian baseball players as inferior. But the current wave of Asian players have disputed that notion. Now scouts are constantly searching Asian countries for the next big star. Bobby Valentine, a former Mets manager, has frequently stated that every starting player in the Japanese baseball league could make a major league roster. Ichiro helped Japan illustrate Bobby Valentine’s statement in 2006 by winning the first ever World Baseball Classic which included teams from around the world whose rosters were full of current major league players.
Like Jackie Robinson before him, Ichiro has unwittingly changed the destiny of a race with a simple game of baseball. His unreasonable demands of himself led to staggering accomplishments and these accomplishments demand attention and respect. We as fellow Asians need to recognize this man who is one of us and who has shown us only the beginning of what we are truly capable of attaining. Ichiro may have never intended on being so prominent, but he has inspired me in a time where we lack Asian representation. Ichiro has given pride to a people, here is a hero to admire.