He set a Japanese baseball record of 216 plate appearances without a strike out. Ichiro’s constancy of routine, MVP numbers, and omnipresence at ballparks buoyed us through the first part of this millennium and our young adult lives. He earned his fifth straight batting title as the Blue Wave won the Pacific League pennant again. 13. Ichiro practiced baseball on a daily basis from the age of three. I know he's known commonly as "Ichiro", but I can't recall any MLB team putting a nickname on a jersey. Ask MetaFilter is a question and answer site that covers nearly any question on earth, where members help each other solve problems. He broke the ulna bone in his right hand when he was hit by a pitch in late August, yet he still led the league in average (.343) for a sixth straight season. Ichiro's father, Nobuyuki Suzuki, opened an Ichiro museum by the Nagoya airport, close to where he raised his son. He racked up an astounding 4,367 hits between Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball, while also winning a combined nine batting titles, four MVP awards, and 17 Gold(en) Glove Awards in Japan and the U.S. A buzz floats through the Safeco Field crowd each time he steps into the batter's box." 12. It was part of his "terms" for playing in the MLB. Ichiro is Japanese, not Japanese American, but seeing him at the plate reminded me of those Ansel Adams pictures, taken of Japanese American players during World War II, behind barbed wire. The protagonist of the novel, Ichiro is a twenty-five-year-old “ no-no boy,” who has just returned to Seattle for the first time in four years.He has spent two years in an internment camp, and two years in prison for refusing the draft.Ichiro returns home to live with his parents, Mr. Yamada and Mrs. Yamada, and his brother Taro, with whom he has a fraught relationship. 2. The museum holds more than 2,000 items, many of them from Ichiro's … In 1997, after Ichiro Suzuki had been playing for the Orix Blue Wave for 5 years, a new manager came in, Akira Ogi, and decided to have Ichiro use his first name only. This site is dedicated to the Japanese superstar Ichiro Suzuki. please email me at Ice Ice Ichiro. Then one day-his manager decided to pull off a publicity stunt. "Suzuki" is as common a family name in Japan as "Smith" is in English-speaking countries. It's his preference -- he received special permission to have his first name on the back of his jersey. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/18800_aguy16.shtml, there are a lot of players who are paid well more than Ichiro. He's not the first and only player to do it, but I believe he's the first and only player to do it regularly.Most players wear a name different from their last name on their jersey for a season or so Even now, this last postseason, people would say to me, 'You must be rooting against the Yankees.' 7. Hoping to capture Japan's fancy, Ohgi replaced the surname across the back of Suzuki's jersey with his first name during spring training and registered him with the commissioner's office as Ichiro. What did Ichiro accomplish in 1995 for the Orix Blue Wave? What did Ichiro accomplish in 1994 for the Orix Blue Wave? However, this type of information does not show you "who" Ichiro is. Ichiro is his given name and Suzuki is his surname. EDIT: To say that please feel free to prove me wrong on a team that has never had names on the jerseys except the Yankees. While often given to a first-born son, it is nowhere near as common as ''Suzuki,'' which is akin to the American ''Jones,'' That's why ''Ichiro'' appears on his jersey.'. johndavi, I hope your comment gets fixed, because it nailed the other thing I was wondering- whether there was precedent for this. Click on the covers to purchase. Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki entered Tuesday night needing just one hit to tie Pete Rose's all-time record of 4,256. Edit: /u/27Christian27 is correct as to why Ichiro is on his jersey. If you would like to provide information for this site, However, Suzuki is a fairly common family name in Japan and in 1994, his manager for the Orix Blue Wave decided to put Ichiro's first name on the jersey to create something of a spectacle around a team that had slid in the standings and that people were losing interest in. 6. Although Ichiro was embarrassed by this at first, he … Why does Ichiro Suzuki's jersey say "Ichiro"? As far as I’m concerned, Ichiro Suzuki is the all-time hit king. His father started teaching Ichiro baseball at the age of 3 and decided that he'd be able to reach first base quicker if he started from the left hand side of the base. It is a work in progress. Ichiro was a little embarrassed to be singled out … Other books about Japanese baseball are available at: Books. Ichiro wears Oakley sunglasses, the ultra-chic Juliet model. Purchase books through these secure links and help support the Ice Ice Ichiro website. What did Ichiro accomplish in 1999 for the Orix Blue Wave? What did Ichiro accomplish in 1998 for the Orix Blue Wave? He was named Pacific League MVP and won his first league batting title, hitting .385 and setting a Japanese baseball record with 210 hits in just 130 games. Because that's what he wore when he played in. It's what he did in Japan, too. 10. Ichiro is a natural right hander. Ichiro is a natural right hander. He has worn "Ichiro" since '01 when he came over. Ichiro's new manager, Ogi Akira, decided Ichiro was such a unique player that he deserved to be more then to be just another Suzuki running around of the field. He sent Ichiro-a rising star then in the Japanese League out on the field with "Ichiro" on the back instead of "Suzuki".Ichiro went along with it-after all-he was a star-and the name Suzuki in Japan is more common than the last name "Smith" is in America. How many batting titles did Ichiro win in Japan? 14. The Blue Wave won the Pacific League pennant this year and went on to defeat the Yomiuri Giants in the championship series. Surprised, to say the least, Suzuki, who was 20, had little leverage to protest. 5. Why does Ichiro have his first name on his uniform? The Japanese way to say his name would be Suzuki Ichiro. Here is a passage from Robert Whiting's book, "The Samurai Way of Baseball": Interesting. When Ichiro Suzuki made his major league debut on April 2, 2001, his jersey had his first name on the back — not his last name. He led the Pacific League with a career high 49 stolen bases, was named League MVP for the second consecutive year, and hit a career-high 25 home runs. - The Olympian (May 18, 2003) "Everything he (Ichiro Suzuki) does has such a grace about it. Join 6,548 readers in helping fund MetaFilter. What did Ichiro accomplish in 2000 for the Orix Blue Wave? Ichiro share his thoughts in interview: What did Ichiro accomplish in 1996 for the Orix Blue Wave? This was because there is more ground to cover in left field at Yankee Stadium then in right field, and Buhner had a sore leg. A unique feat by itself that required the permission of Commissioner Bud Selig. I'm really stretching to remember, but I believe they are the only ones that have never put a name on a jersey - funny because they were the first with numbers So why isn't Ichiro a star of printed page, TV screen and other advertising venues anywhere near the way football's Peyton Manning, basketball's LeBron James or golf's Tiger Woods are?. Regarding Ichiro, the Mariners informed the league that he had worn only Ichiro on his jersey during the past nine years in Japan and planned to continue that practice. Ichiro Suzuki / ˈ iː tʃ ɪ r oʊ s uː ˈ z uː k i / (鈴木 一朗, Suzuki Ichirō, born 22 October 1973), often referred to mononymously as Ichiro (イチロー, Ichirō), is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played 28 seasons combined in top-level professional leagues. 4. Ichiro's right arm was. No one will confuse the veteran with Marlins ace Jose Fernandez, but Ichiro provided … 1. Ichiro's new manager, Ogi Akira, decided Ichiro was such a unique player that he deserved to be more then to be just another Suzuki running around of the field. When he played in Japan he had several teammates named Suzuki; his manager decided it would be easier and more interesting to put 'Ichiro' on his jersey. 9. Why does Ichiro's Jersey say Ichiro? 13. 11. Although Ichiro was embarrassed by this at first, he soon became accustomed to it, and the fans loved it. Here are two, which are available through Amazon.com. It was during the 1994 season that he began to use his given name, "Ichiro", instead of his family name, "Suzuki", on the back of his uniform. In 1997, after Ichiro Suzuki had been playing for the Orix Blue Wave for 5 years, a new manager came in, Akira Ogi, and decided to have Ichiro use his first name only. He won the MVP award for the third straight year. Why does Ichiro bat left handed but throw right handed? 9. In that sense, Ichiro’s image was linked in my mind with my father, my cousins and uncles, the members of my Japanese American family who love baseball. Ichiro chose No #31 without actual reason, he had a reason why not choosing no #51. Men marrying older women is not uncommon in Japan. Vida Blue and Chili Davis both had the same thing, apparently. Ichiro cemented his legacy as one of the best hitters baseball has ever seen on Sunday, collecting his 3,000th hit in Major League Baseball, making him just the … A contributing factor, according to an article in The Christian Science Monitor: ' ''Ichiro ...means ''fast man.'' All 10,000 Ichiro dolls made available for the All-Star Game's FanFest activities were snapped up within 48 hours, sold for $35 per bobble bauble. Ichiro won his fifth straight batting title and the Blue Wave won the Pacific League pennant. So that year he had Ichiro printed on the back of his jersey. What did Ichiro accomplish in 1997 for the Orix Blue Wave? Ichiro won seven straight Pacific League batting titles in Japan, beginning in 1994. He was named to the Pacific League ''Best Nine'' end-of-season all-star team for the seventh consecutive year and won his seventh straight Gold Glove award. He strained a right rib cage muscle on August 28, cutting short his season, but still led the league in on-base percentage. Why does Ichiro bat left handed but throw right handed? Not only does Ichiro know English, he knows how to curse up a storm in English. What kind of sunglasses does he wear? Ichiro practiced baseball on a … The Mariners are smack in the middle of a youth movement and yet, although Ichiro is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Ryan Inzana, it centers on a young American teen, son of a Japanese immigrant and an American soldier killed in combat, goes to Japan with his mother for an extended visit and begins to grapple with sophisticated cultural complexities. In nine seasons in Japan, he hit .353 with 118 homers and 529 RBI. His father started teaching Ichiro baseball at the age of 3 and decided that he'd be able to reach first base quicker if he started from the left hand side of the base. What position did Ichiro play for Game 5 of the American League Championship, against the Yankees on October 22, 2001? With the Phillies up four in the eighth inning, Miami manager Dan Jennings allowed the 10-time All-Star to accomplish another first -- pitch in a big league game. He reached base safely (hits or walks)in 69 consecutive games, from May 21-Aug 26, 1994. What is unique about the shoes Ichiro wears to play? Asics equipped Ichiro with his own shoe in Japan, and now the company has him wearing a spiffy pair of cleats festooned with very visible stripes of a neon green to match the Mariners' colors. He has 2,977 hits in the major leagues and 1,278 in the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan, leaving him with a career total of 4,255. Last year (2000) was one of his best for the Orix Blue Wave. Why does Ichiro have his first name on his uniform? But with that number unofficially retired by the Yankees in honor of Bernie Williams, Ichiro knew that he’d need a new number. Wow, 12 million is a lot of money just to play a sport. Ichiro was a superstar, but printed on the back of his jersey was Suzuki, a common last name in Japan, much like the American equivalent of Smith. After being presented with the Mariners Franchise Achievement Award -- the first player to receive the honor -- Ichiro talked for five minutes about his appreciation for the support he received in Seattle and across the Major Leagues after coming to the U.S. to pursue his baseball dreams. Are there any books in English about Ichiro? He collected his 1000th hit on April 20 against Nippon at the Tokyo Dome, and hit his 100th home run on July 6 against the Seibu Lions. 4. 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