I remember when he broke the record for hits in a season, George Sisler's daughter was in the audience, and he immediately went over to greet her. Years later when he went to Missouri, he visited the Sisler's grave and paid his respects to the man whose record he beat. That's a level of humility I wanna have in my life.
It was must watch baseball every night once he was within 5 hits. You had to watch because he had the ability to go 5 for 5 and it needed to be seen on Live TV.
@@MyTunnel888 It was hard to piss Ichiro Off. Some unremembered A's Pitcher did it by throwing at his Head, I think because an A's Batter got plunked. Ichiro hit a Liner right back at him that hit him and Ichiro got on base. That was the moment for me that really made me go "Damn" with Ichiro.
some of the voters just believe their shouldnt be any 100% out of principle (its stupid, but its tradition) whats important is that he will be 1st ballot easy
He will be 1st ballot in 2025 without a doubt. If a vote goes for Gary Sheffield or Billy Wagner I wouldn't be mad. In my eyes they deserve to be in as well and the vote is better served there.
my grandma was perhaps the world's biggest Ichiro fan, or at least eastern washington's biggest ichiro fan. I often tell the joke, when I'm talking about Ichiro and my grandma, that I'm grateful that lung cancer took her when it did, because she wouldn't survive Ichiro being traded to the Yankee's. I was born in Seattle in Ichiro's rookie year and was raised going to Mariner's games, and even still to this day I can't quite get why she was such a huge fan of him, not due to her justification of being a fan, but the magnitude of her fandom. Every room in my grandparent's house had a gametime photo of him. When she died I inherited her baseball card collection, it contained every single Ichiro card made at the time of her death, from his times at the Blue Flames, every single brand of MLB card, every single card with Ichiro and other players (like the ones with the gold glove winners or the MVPs), and perfect grades of his MLB rookie cards.
That's cool! I can understand why she liked him. He was such a humble and elegant player who had graceful skills. He is also a very respectable individual who respects other cultures and even went to the Negro League museum to donate. He's just that guy!
My condolences. Such great memories. Was your Grandma from Yakima? I was born and raised there. I was a huge Griffey and Ichiro fan probably not a big a fan as your Grandma but watched as much as I could.
I never understood the argument some people made against his NBP stats counting towards his claim as "hit king". If he had just amassed 1K hits in MLB and the rest came in Japan, then it would be a valid argument; but the fact that he debuted at 27 and was able to sustain such an incredible level of consistency both at the plate and playing defense nullifies any argument against him. If anything it speaks volumes about his preparation, commitment, professionalism and love of the game. Not to mention being among the nicest and classiest individuals to ever grace sports. There's an even higher plateau for people like him than just being called legend.
Debuts at 27 and still ends up with over 3000 hits, he came into the MLB basically in his prime which was basically the majority of his career due to his ridiculous consistency, honestly one of the most complete players ever
Ichiro had over 205 hits in all of his first 10 MLB seasons. He did that once in Japan. If he started in MLB, he may have had more hits than if you just count his japan+MLB stats
I worked at SafeCo Field during the 2003 season. To say that it was an honor to watch Ichiro everyday is an understatement. That man did everything the right way and frankly made the game look easy. Plus, it was awesome trying to catch his second deck BP bombs when he was up there. Nothing but love for a true legend of the game.
The reason Ichiro was able to achieve such great results is because he did not suffer any major injuries. He was constantly training and was particular about his diet and routine during the season. In the locker room, he reportedly sat on a chair with no backrest because the couch was bad for his back.
I am planning to attend his Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown, NY in 2025. He should be unanimously selected just like Mo Rivera was because his numbers are INSANE. Thank you for highlighting how INSANELY great he was for over a decade in the USA. Had he come to the USA several years earlier from Japan, his stats would have been even crazier.
That'll be a great experience! I'm glad you enjoyed the video, he certainly was remarkable as an NPB and MLB player. He gave me lots of material to talk about!
Crazy stat: Ichiro had over 205 hits in all of his first 10 MLB seasons. He did that once in seven years Japan. If he started in MLB, he may have had more hits than if you just count his japan+MLB hits and he would absolutely be the all time hit king
According to what I have heard, Ichiro actually thought it would be easier to hit 200 hits in a year in MLB than in Japan, because there are more games in MLB.
Ichiro is one of the best to ever play baseball, also he is a great man. Someone being humble despite having a rare gift, he is an example to all in sport and life.
That is a statement backed up by many people who played with him on a daily basis. He was deceptively strong for a guy his size. His job was to get on base and disrupt a defense. He did that better than anyone else in the game during his first 10 seasons. I’ve never heard any MLB player have a negative thing to say about Ichiro. He did it the right way.
Ichiro was one of the most fundamentally sound baseball players of not only the modern era but of ALL time. He played the game CORRECTLY and respected the opposition. 🍷🍷… that’s all you can ask for.
One of my all time favs! Saw him many times when he was a Mariner. One thing that sticks in my mind....he was always stretching! Every spare moment he got, in the outfield in between, inning, hitters...every chance he got he stretched. I'm sure it help his longevity!
Simply the very best - period! A true hero of professional sports. He is working with high schoolers in Japan. A man for all seasons. A person to emulate. Humble beyond words.🙇
Once again, great video I am an old guy… As time goes by and you hear so much about don’t swing unless it’s in your zone, wait for your pitch, what’s the exit vely or barrel percentage blah blah blah etc. etc. The video clips you have shown is proof that Ichiro trusted himself. No analytics. Just pure artistry. He could hit off the front foot, pull the ball, slap it to left field. Wow it was a beautiful thing!
Thank you for the kind words! These videos do take a tremendous amount of time, but it's rewarding to put together a project of this nature for an all-time great player like Ichiro.
If he would have had the opportunity to start in MLB at 19 or 20, he would have had well over 4,000 hits. I would see an argument if he struggled in his first year or two in MLB, but his transition was seamless. What a great player and was the antithesis of a “star athlete.”
Ichiro was my baseball idol. I modled my game after him, a quick, slap hitting outfielder. I actually wrote a fictional story in 1st grade about him hitting a walk off homerun in the world series, obviously he never got that chance 😂 but he still is one of the greatest players to ever play. Last year I got to see him inducted into the Mariners HoF and it was one of the greatest moments of my life!
That's awesome, thank you for sharing! That's an experience that you'll never forget, and we won't have to wait much longer for his induction into Cooperstown
Fun Facts 1: Ichiro was the first Japanese fielder to play MLB 2: Ichiro caused the contract fees for Japanese fielders to skyrocket. 3: Ichiro was a pitcher in high school. 4: Jim Colborn, who scouted Ichiro, was the pitching coach for the same team in NPB. 5: Jim Colborn had his eye on Ichiro when Ichiro was a member of the team's second team. 6: Jim Colborn had lobbied for Ichiro to move to MLB for years. 7: Jim Colborn knocked and hit pitchers as Ichiro began his NPB pre-season training in Southern California. 8: Jim Colborn made special arrangements for Ichiro to attend the Seattle Mariners spring camp as an NPB player. 9: In anticipation of Ichiro becoming a free agent, Jim Colborn continued to approach the Seattle Mariners about a contract. 10: Ichiro's run time from home to first base remained one of the best in the league at age 43.
I saw Ichiro play three times and every time he did something spectacular on the field. Besides averaging two hits a game he would have a strong put out from right field and run down balls in the gap. He was one of the best players I seen play.
Thank you so much for making this video. My favorite player who I got to see play since I was a kid. I'm glad I also got to see him in the Mariners hall of fame game. A true icon
the first 10 seasons of Ichiro is more than enough to send him to the Hall. That's how good he is. And probably one of the best 10 years stretch for any player in history.
Just want to say I played ball for a lot of my life and for some reason fell out of love with it for some years. I looked up Roberto Clemente and you absolutely nailed that video. Now I’m going down the rabbit hole of all your player vids and just wanted to say these are the best baseball vids on RUclips. Huge fan bro and hope you keep them going!
Thank you so much for the kind words! Sincerely that’s why I started making these type of videos. It’s amazing to hear that others enjoy celebrating all-time great players as much as I do.
@@Cam23 funny enough I binge watched all of them the last couple days, got right to the end and you dropped this so great timing on your part lol. 100% appreciate these. Commentary is A1, you show film, stats it’s got everything. Hope you cover everybody.
That worked out well! 😂 It means a lot to hear that. Believe me, I have soooo many more players that I’m dying to get to, can’t wait for what 2024 has in store!
Saw Ichiro play when I went to a Cleveland Indians game almost 20 years ago when my friend's family took me to a game at Jacob's Field. The Tribe lost that day but it was cool seeing him play in person. One of a kind batting style.
More than his batting performance, I am amazed at his health management, which allowed him to avoid any major injuries until his retirement. Many players these days get injured for some reason when they earn a lot of money. I think pitchers can't help it because they have elbow and shoulder injuries, but there are fielders who get injured every year and cause problems for the team. We should learn from Ichiro's self-control.
Ichiro is the greatest Mariner if all time. My absolute favorite player of all time. What a joy it was to watch him play baseball. I wish they wouldn't have just to the Yankees in our 116 win year in 2001. I lost good money, but more importantly we lost our greatest season ever and so it doesn't hold the weight it should. I freaking hate the Yankees. I always have and I always will. Lol. But credit to them because they won in 5. 😢 As an addition/edit. This was a beautiful video. It is so fun reliving moments I watched as a young man. Thank you!!!
The 116 win year was a special team! And thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! This project was a blast to relive the career of a true baseball icon.
I'd vote for Griffey or Edgar, personally. I do love Ichiro, though. He's number 3 for me. And we both hate the Yankees. Ichiro played for the Yankees.
No direspect to him but he maybe sniffs top 5 babe Ruth hank tony gwyn and Roberto Clemente and maybe Sosa even thought he cheated and Reggie Jackson no direspect to your opinion it’s jus there so many good players who have played that position that it hard for him to make it
@@isaihM4 Tony gwynn was the only one close. No one else is the all around better RF then him. His defense was insane, his arm strength and accuracy was unhuman. He ran the bases well. Didn't strike out. The only thing he didn't have was the power numbers. I would take the total package of ichiro as my all time starting RF over all those others any day of the week.
@sspitz974 Tony Gwynn was a Bat Only Player though and only was a Decent Baserunner/Stealer at best and a Slap Hitter with Prince Fielder's Physique at times. Ichiro had one of the Best Arms in MLB History, Extreme Speed, one of the Best Fielders in History, ect. All Around, A Better Right Fielder.
Thank you for watching! Making these videos always puts achievements into a historical perspective. It's unreal how talented Ichiro was for so many years!
Ichiro Suzuki's prime years were indeed remarkable! His ability to consistently hit and his speed on the bases were truly a sight to behold. The way he combined his batting skills with incredible fielding ability made him one of the most exciting players to watch in baseball history. It's always inspiring to see athletes who can excel at such a high level in their sport. His dedication and skill have certainly left a lasting impact on the game! 🌟⚾
Great vid! Ichiro is easily the best infield hitter of his generation as well as being one of the best rightfielders to ever play baseball. Also, hes one of the rare players that was fun to watch hit singles.
This dude was awesome to see play..very humble and all, but my favorite moment and I think it’s the coldest moment I saw between two legends in Ichiro and Mariano Rivera when he hit that walk off HR and that strut around the bases 😮💨😮💨😮💨💪🏼💪🏼💯💯awesome job Cam
When I was researching this vid and saw that walk off bomb I knew it had to be included. Legendary moment! Thank you for the compliment, I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
Didn't play in the MLB until he was 27 and still managed over 3000 hits. If he played his entire career in America, he easily would've gotten over 4000 hits and would've had a strong chance of breaking Pete Rose's MLB record. Still has the worldwide professional hit record. Greatest hitter of our generation, bar none.
MLB 2007 the Show 💯 that game introduced me to Ichiro, seeing that he was one of the highest rated players of the game, it was even fun watching him come to Orange County 🍊to play the angels, my favorite player of all time being an angels fan 💯🍊 one of the most complete players I’ve ever seen growing up, insane to say his setbacks in certain seasons still accumulated to .300 batting average season n over 200 hits still on his bad seasons during his prime, insane
Grew up watching Ichrio. One of my favorite players. Bittersweet cause I’m an Ohtani fan and it’s a weird feeling seeing such a Japanese icon that in my life was the greatest Japanese born player of all time, but Ohtani now is honestly gonna surpass him once he retires himself. But I’ll never forget Ichiro during my youth.
Yes, I cannot chose who is better but they are two different type of players. Ichiro was a hitting machine and perhaps could've been a homerun king as well. He was a 10-time Gold Glove Winner, a Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same year. A extraordinary baserunner and a tremendous outfielder. He was the whole package. He was all you can ask for in a baseball player. ⚾️
Love it Love it Love it.......Great video, I learned a lot about a player I never got to watch enough on tv, but I always knew would be a legend. I love your videos. Keep 'em coming
Anytime you are mentioned regarding counting stats in the modern era along with guys who were playing pre-integration, you are a special special dude. Hornsby would probably struggle to make an all-star game in this age.
The first piece of jewelry I owned was in 2006 and it was an Ichiro watch when he was in Seattle. I'm as diehard of a Yankees fan as the average New Yorker, but Ichiro will ALWAYS be in my top 3 discussions. Dude is a legendary figure in baseball. I love telling my students sports stories, especially when it comes to my favorite players and Ichiro is a regular topic of discussion.
I'm not satisfied with the result that he didn't win the MVP when he reached 262 hits and topped George Sisler’s 84-year-old record for the greatest number of hits in a season in 2004.
Unfortunately, MVP voting has been very unkind to high average, low power hitters over the years. Despite such a remarkable accomplishment, it seemingly gets overlooked time and time again.
Ichiro is the best pure hitter of all-time. And that’s coming from a San Diego native, the birthplace of Ted Williams and home of the beloved Tony Gwynn. It’s insane to think that Seattle had 4 of the greatest ball players of all-time in the same era and let them all basically slip away. What would a 2000s Mariners team have accomplish if they had Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, and Ichiro all on the same team? That would have been insane
Your editing is crazy good. Not sure how you get all those old videos of the players. I’m from Seattle and forgot how incredible that 10 year stretch was for Ichiro. Thanks for the video, look forward to the next one.
Thank you so much! I appreciate the kind words. With players like Ichiro in the last 20 years or so footage isn’t terribly hard to find, however, those ‘80s and ‘70s guys I’ve done were very difficult 😅
Ichiro was the reason I played college baseball. Without knowing prior to this video, I switched from lefty to righty because for me I found I made better contact there to help the team and I could drag bunt like no other. Anyways I was never big 5’7 3B aren’t going far back in the 2000s even today. Anyways my high school coach who was little league coach at the time started calling me ichiro because I would get on base no matter what and I carried that to a small d1 scholarship. Besides my parents and coaches, it was constant watching ichiro in game of power hitters that gave me hope that I could make it, never did but never would of got past high school if it wasn’t for ichiro
I may have missed it if you did mention this one: Ichiro never played a single minor league game. Obviously he wasn’t going to be playing in the minors when he signed to play MLB, but he never even needed a single rehab stint. Lol
the next great Japanese OF arm could be Chusei Mannami. A lot of NPB fans are saying he has the best arm in RF since Ichiro. 24 y/o half Congolese, half Japanese kid with some boom. He's a walking highlight reel and it feels like he does something in RF every day that doesn't make it into the box score, but does a lot to prevent runs.
All of the people who knew him said that man could hit during practice but he decided to not hit as hard in actual games as to be moderate or whatever. He did what he needed to do to get the W and he did it efficiently!
More power to him! I believe Wade Boggs had a similar approach. In my opinion, I’ll take a .320+ average and low K numbers over a .250 average with high K and power numbers
@@Cam23 Indeed, it kind of plays into the old saying quality over quantity. But I guess he did the opposite with a quantity that had more quality in the end, so he killed two birds with one stone in a way.
3:40 In talking about the two PL championships he and the Orix Blue Wave won in 1995 and 1996, we must not forget the M7.3 earthquake that occurred in the early morning hours of January 17, 1995, just before 6:00 am. The epicenter was only 8.8km (5.5miles) away from their home ground, Green Stadium Kobe. The highway was overturned and the train station collapsed. More than 6,000 people died in the massive fire and the collapse of their homes. In such a state of Kobe, Blue Wave was a star of hope. So Taguchi, who later won two championship rings with STL and PHI and was teammates with Ichiro at the time, said that he felt "we had to do our best" when he received a huge cheer at the first game held at Green Stadium Kobe that year. The Orix Blue Wave, with a patch on their jersey sleeve that read "GANBARO KOBE" (meaning "hang in there, KOBE") and with Kobe's heart on their shoulders, made great strides and won the PL championship for the first time since the parent company of the baseball team was changed from Hankyu Corporation to Orix.
Seen him play against the Giants in San Francisco. He beat out an infield single with such tremendous speed. He looked like a blur going down the first base line. Not easy to do against major league infielders.
![Coheed and Cambria - Searching for Tomorrow [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hDsYGLbmadg/mqdefault.jpg)
I remember when he broke the record for hits in a season, George Sisler's daughter was in the audience, and he immediately went over to greet her. Years later when he went to Missouri, he visited the Sisler's grave and paid his respects to the man whose record he beat. That's a level of humility I wanna have in my life.
Ichiro is a classy man!
It was must watch baseball every night once he was within 5 hits. You had to watch because he had the ability to go 5 for 5 and it needed to be seen on Live TV.
@@Cam23😊oooo
A fun fact is that Ichiros 1000th hit was a single, his 2000th hit was a double and his 3000 hit was a triple. (Mlb only)
i wouldnt suprise if he did it on purpose
@@MyTunnel888 It was hard to piss Ichiro Off. Some unremembered A's Pitcher did it by throwing at his Head, I think because an A's Batter got plunked. Ichiro hit a Liner right back at him that hit him and Ichiro got on base.
That was the moment for me that really made me go "Damn" with Ichiro.
Was his 4000th hit a home run?
@@henryt9281イチローは日米通算で4000安打を超えてるけど、MLBのみでは4000安打に到達してない
1000本目のマリナーズベンチは一塁側、3000本目のマリーンズベンチは3塁側、2000本目は覚えていない。
イチローさんはホームランを狙って打てるから。
Hitting 291 at age 42. Most MLB players in their prime couldn’t hit that. Simply amazing.
He 100% should be a first ballot unanimous Hall of Famer. Anyone that does not vote him in should lose their right to vote.
some of the voters just believe their shouldnt be any 100% out of principle (its stupid, but its tradition) whats important is that he will be 1st ballot easy
@@jeremygeller9145That argument dissolved when Rivera went in unanimously. If there's any player that deserves to go next, it's Ichiro
You could make this statement about literally dozens of past HOFers. It's just so much hyperbole by now.
Agreed
He will be 1st ballot in 2025 without a doubt. If a vote goes for Gary Sheffield or Billy Wagner I wouldn't be mad. In my eyes they deserve to be in as well and the vote is better served there.
my grandma was perhaps the world's biggest Ichiro fan, or at least eastern washington's biggest ichiro fan. I often tell the joke, when I'm talking about Ichiro and my grandma, that I'm grateful that lung cancer took her when it did, because she wouldn't survive Ichiro being traded to the Yankee's. I was born in Seattle in Ichiro's rookie year and was raised going to Mariner's games, and even still to this day I can't quite get why she was such a huge fan of him, not due to her justification of being a fan, but the magnitude of her fandom. Every room in my grandparent's house had a gametime photo of him. When she died I inherited her baseball card collection, it contained every single Ichiro card made at the time of her death, from his times at the Blue Flames, every single brand of MLB card, every single card with Ichiro and other players (like the ones with the gold glove winners or the MVPs), and perfect grades of his MLB rookie cards.
Thats such a great story and memory you have of your grama!!
Thank you for sharing those memories, and that’s an awesome Ichiro collection she had!
That's cool! I can understand why she liked him. He was such a humble and elegant player who had graceful skills. He is also a very respectable individual who respects other cultures and even went to the Negro League museum to donate. He's just that guy!
My condolences. Such great memories. Was your Grandma from Yakima? I was born and raised there. I was a huge Griffey and Ichiro fan probably not a big a fan as your Grandma but watched as much as I could.
Hope Ichiro himself somehow reads this post.
Literally a baseball god. My favorite player of all time.
YES!
SAME!
I wanted to be just like him but life got in the way of that🤧
I was about to say the same!
I never understood the argument some people made against his NBP stats counting towards his claim as "hit king". If he had just amassed 1K hits in MLB and the rest came in Japan, then it would be a valid argument; but the fact that he debuted at 27 and was able to sustain such an incredible level of consistency both at the plate and playing defense nullifies any argument against him. If anything it speaks volumes about his preparation, commitment, professionalism and love of the game. Not to mention being among the nicest and classiest individuals to ever grace sports. There's an even higher plateau for people like him than just being called legend.
if you combine his stats the numbers are WILD 😳
You’ve got a point ☝🏼
Debuts at 27 and still ends up with over 3000 hits, he came into the MLB basically in his prime which was basically the majority of his career due to his ridiculous consistency, honestly one of the most complete players ever
Ichiro had over 205 hits in all of his first 10 MLB seasons. He did that once in Japan. If he started in MLB, he may have had more hits than if you just count his japan+MLB stats
@@asl2g4u if u combine Japan and mlb hits, he passed Ty Cobb’s career total.
I loved watching Ichiro play. It was such an honor having him in America.
I worked at SafeCo Field during the 2003 season. To say that it was an honor to watch Ichiro everyday is an understatement. That man did everything the right way and frankly made the game look easy. Plus, it was awesome trying to catch his second deck BP bombs when he was up there. Nothing but love for a true legend of the game.
The reason Ichiro was able to achieve such great results is because he did not suffer any major injuries. He was constantly training and was particular about his diet and routine during the season. In the locker room, he reportedly sat on a chair with no backrest because the couch was bad for his back.
he was nonstop stretching in the outfield, 24/7 doing arm stretches between pitches lol
I am planning to attend his Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown, NY in 2025. He should be unanimously selected just like Mo Rivera was because his numbers are INSANE. Thank you for highlighting how INSANELY great he was for over a decade in the USA. Had he come to the USA several years earlier from Japan, his stats would have been even crazier.
That'll be a great experience! I'm glad you enjoyed the video, he certainly was remarkable as an NPB and MLB player. He gave me lots of material to talk about!
Ichiro is my favorite player of all time! Being a kid in the PNW and watching him play was like seeing a hero saving the day
I grew up loving Ichiro but watching the King, even though the Ms haven't accomplished much they've definitely had dudes to root for
Crazy stat:
Ichiro had over 205 hits in all of his first 10 MLB seasons. He did that once in seven years Japan. If he started in MLB, he may have had more hits than if you just count his japan+MLB hits and he would absolutely be the all time hit king
According to what I have heard, Ichiro actually thought it would be easier to hit 200 hits in a year in MLB than in Japan, because there are more games in MLB.
if you saw the video, Ichiro played about 130 games per year at NPB. Bad comparison.
Or he could have been a worse player because people don’t let players develop in the mlb anymore
@lain9732 that's even crazier he put up those numbers in Japan with less games
Ichiro is one of the best to ever play baseball, also he is a great man. Someone being humble despite having a rare gift, he is an example to all in sport and life.
"I could hit 30 Home Runs a Year if I wanted to easily, but I'd bat .260 and that's not my Role". - Ichiro
That is a statement backed up by many people who played with him on a daily basis. He was deceptively strong for a guy his size. His job was to get on base and disrupt a defense. He did that better than anyone else in the game during his first 10 seasons. I’ve never heard any MLB player have a negative thing to say about Ichiro. He did it the right way.
He never said this.
@@Tom-y1j Ichiro said that if he had a batting average of .220 he could hit 40 home runs.
Ichiro was one of the most fundamentally sound baseball players of not only the modern era but of ALL time. He played the game CORRECTLY and respected the opposition. 🍷🍷… that’s all you can ask for.
One of my all time favs! Saw him many times when he was a Mariner.
One thing that sticks in my mind....he was always stretching! Every spare moment he got, in the outfield in between, inning, hitters...every chance he got he stretched. I'm sure it help his longevity!
Simply the very best - period! A true hero of professional sports. He is working with high schoolers in Japan. A man for all seasons. A person to emulate. Humble beyond words.🙇
Ichiro is a superhero. A living legend
Once again, great video
I am an old guy… As time goes by and you hear so much about don’t swing unless it’s in your zone, wait for your pitch, what’s the exit vely or barrel percentage blah blah blah etc. etc. The video clips you have shown is proof that Ichiro trusted himself. No analytics. Just pure artistry.
He could hit off the front foot, pull the ball, slap it to left field. Wow it was a beautiful thing!
Well said! Analytics have a place, but it should never supersede your gut reaction. If it’s there to hit, swing and get on base! ⚾️
This video must have taken crazy amount of work. It has great clips, plethora of stats and info, and im throughly impressed as everyone else.
Thank you for the kind words! These videos do take a tremendous amount of time, but it's rewarding to put together a project of this nature for an all-time great player like Ichiro.
I'm a cubs fan, but ichiro is my favorite player of all time.
If he would have had the opportunity to start in MLB at 19 or 20, he would have had well over 4,000 hits. I would see an argument if he struggled in his first year or two in MLB, but his transition was seamless. What a great player and was the antithesis of a “star athlete.”
I could never bet against Ichiro! He certainly could have reached 4,000 hits in my mind
I completely agree and love ichiro, but 'antithesis' means the opposite of how you used it. 'Epitome' would work better
I’ll never understand this stance. Could he? Sure. But he could also have been much worse
Ichiro was my baseball idol. I modled my game after him, a quick, slap hitting outfielder. I actually wrote a fictional story in 1st grade about him hitting a walk off homerun in the world series, obviously he never got that chance 😂 but he still is one of the greatest players to ever play. Last year I got to see him inducted into the Mariners HoF and it was one of the greatest moments of my life!
That's awesome, thank you for sharing! That's an experience that you'll never forget, and we won't have to wait much longer for his induction into Cooperstown
You probable weak e
Fun Facts
1: Ichiro was the first Japanese fielder to play MLB
2: Ichiro caused the contract fees for Japanese fielders to skyrocket.
3: Ichiro was a pitcher in high school.
4: Jim Colborn, who scouted Ichiro, was the pitching coach for the same team in NPB.
5: Jim Colborn had his eye on Ichiro when Ichiro was a member of the team's second team.
6: Jim Colborn had lobbied for Ichiro to move to MLB for years.
7: Jim Colborn knocked and hit pitchers as Ichiro began his NPB pre-season training in Southern California.
8: Jim Colborn made special arrangements for Ichiro to attend the Seattle Mariners spring camp as an NPB player.
9: In anticipation of Ichiro becoming a free agent, Jim Colborn continued to approach the Seattle Mariners about a contract.
10: Ichiro's run time from home to first base remained one of the best in the league at age 43.
A true legend in Baseball and a role model for the sports world.
I saw Ichiro play three times and every time he did something spectacular on the field. Besides averaging two hits a game he would have a strong put out from right field and run down balls in the gap. He was one of the best players I seen play.
He’s a hero to everyone. Love this huy
Thank you so much for making this video. My favorite player who I got to see play since I was a kid. I'm glad I also got to see him in the Mariners hall of fame game. A true icon
I’m glad you enjoyed, hope I did him justice he deserves the spotlight!
Born and raised in western Washington is start watching baseball during that 2001 season and he instantly became my favorite player.
the first 10 seasons of Ichiro is more than enough to send him to the Hall. That's how good he is. And probably one of the best 10 years stretch for any player in history.
my favorite player of all time
Just want to say I played ball for a lot of my life and for some reason fell out of love with it for some years. I looked up Roberto Clemente and you absolutely nailed that video. Now I’m going down the rabbit hole of all your player vids and just wanted to say these are the best baseball vids on RUclips. Huge fan bro and hope you keep them going!
it's normal i fell out of love with the game. now in my fifties it seems to be calling me back. 🤷♂️
Thank you so much for the kind words! Sincerely that’s why I started making these type of videos. It’s amazing to hear that others enjoy celebrating all-time great players as much as I do.
@@Cam23 funny enough I binge watched all of them the last couple days, got right to the end and you dropped this so great timing on your part lol. 100% appreciate these. Commentary is A1, you show film, stats it’s got everything. Hope you cover everybody.
That worked out well! 😂
It means a lot to hear that. Believe me, I have soooo many more players that I’m dying to get to, can’t wait for what 2024 has in store!
this dude literally got me into liking sports
Saw Ichiro play when I went to a Cleveland Indians game almost 20 years ago when my friend's family took me to a game at Jacob's Field. The Tribe lost that day but it was cool seeing him play in person. One of a kind batting style.
growing up as a lefty who threw right-handed in the Pacific Nopthwest, This man was my idol. For me easy top 5-10 baseball players of all time.
Yo, we uploaded at the EXACT SAME TIME. Great work, buddy!
Dude what are the odds!!! 😂 Thanks Hatbilly 🙌🏼
Imagine if he went to the MLB in his early twenties he would have surpassed Pete Rose effortlessly
He still did surpass Rose.
More than his batting performance, I am amazed at his health management, which allowed him to avoid any major injuries until his retirement. Many players these days get injured for some reason when they earn a lot of money. I think pitchers can't help it because they have elbow and shoulder injuries, but there are fielders who get injured every year and cause problems for the team. We should learn from Ichiro's self-control.
I agree! Ichiro took very good care of himself. Players today should take notes 📝
Ichiro is the greatest Mariner if all time. My absolute favorite player of all time. What a joy it was to watch him play baseball. I wish they wouldn't have just to the Yankees in our 116 win year in 2001. I lost good money, but more importantly we lost our greatest season ever and so it doesn't hold the weight it should. I freaking hate the Yankees. I always have and I always will. Lol. But credit to them because they won in 5. 😢
As an addition/edit. This was a beautiful video. It is so fun reliving moments I watched as a young man. Thank you!!!
The 116 win year was a special team! And thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! This project was a blast to relive the career of a true baseball icon.
I'd vote for Griffey or Edgar, personally. I do love Ichiro, though. He's number 3 for me. And we both hate the Yankees. Ichiro played for the Yankees.
He must have really enjoyed his great career. Fun to watch
RS. Canada
I can't wait to see him in the MLB HOF. I loved watching him play. He never disappointed.
He is by far one of if not the best RF to ever play the game. Best pure hitter the game has ever seen
No direspect to him but he maybe sniffs top 5 babe Ruth hank tony gwyn and Roberto Clemente and maybe Sosa even thought he cheated and Reggie Jackson no direspect to your opinion it’s jus there so many good players who have played that position that it hard for him to make it
@@isaihM4 Tony gwynn was the only one close. No one else is the all around better RF then him. His defense was insane, his arm strength and accuracy was unhuman. He ran the bases well. Didn't strike out. The only thing he didn't have was the power numbers. I would take the total package of ichiro as my all time starting RF over all those others any day of the week.
Ichiro is definitely in top 5. More like top 3 among that list.
@sspitz974 Tony Gwynn was a Bat Only Player though and only was a Decent Baserunner/Stealer at best and a Slap Hitter with Prince Fielder's Physique at times. Ichiro had one of the Best Arms in MLB History, Extreme Speed, one of the Best Fielders in History, ect. All Around, A Better Right Fielder.
@@isaihM4 Ruth is a cheater.
Im so glad you made this video! Hes definitely one of my favorite athletes of all time, and this just made me love him even more.
Thank you for watching! Making these videos always puts achievements into a historical perspective. It's unreal how talented Ichiro was for so many years!
I’m from Seattle, this man is my hero. I knew his name as kid before a the name of a single U.S. president or cartoon character.
Ichiro Suzuki's prime years were indeed remarkable! His ability to consistently hit and his speed on the bases were truly a sight to behold. The way he combined his batting skills with incredible fielding ability made him one of the most exciting players to watch in baseball history. It's always inspiring to see athletes who can excel at such a high level in their sport. His dedication and skill have certainly left a lasting impact on the game! 🌟⚾
・17 consecutive year Golden glover
・17 consecutive year All star player
・17 consecutive year .300+ hitter
between Japan and USA
Great vid! Ichiro is easily the best infield hitter of his generation as well as being one of the best rightfielders to ever play baseball. Also, hes one of the rare players that was fun to watch hit singles.
This dude was awesome to see play..very humble and all, but my favorite moment and I think it’s the coldest moment I saw between two legends in Ichiro and Mariano Rivera when he hit that walk off HR and that strut around the bases 😮💨😮💨😮💨💪🏼💪🏼💯💯awesome job Cam
When I was researching this vid and saw that walk off bomb I knew it had to be included. Legendary moment!
Thank you for the compliment, I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
that clip never gets old!
Didn't play in the MLB until he was 27 and still managed over 3000 hits.
If he played his entire career in America, he easily would've gotten over 4000 hits and would've had a strong chance of breaking Pete Rose's MLB record. Still has the worldwide professional hit record. Greatest hitter of our generation, bar none.
MLB 2007 the Show 💯 that game introduced me to Ichiro, seeing that he was one of the highest rated players of the game, it was even fun watching him come to Orange County 🍊to play the angels, my favorite player of all time being an angels fan 💯🍊 one of the most complete players I’ve ever seen growing up, insane to say his setbacks in certain seasons still accumulated to .300 batting average season n over 200 hits still on his bad seasons during his prime, insane
Grew up watching Ichrio.
One of my favorite players.
Bittersweet cause I’m an Ohtani fan and it’s a weird feeling seeing such a Japanese icon that in my life was the greatest Japanese born player of all time, but Ohtani now is honestly gonna surpass him once he retires himself. But I’ll never forget Ichiro during my youth.
Yes, I cannot chose who is better but they are two different type of players. Ichiro was a hitting machine and perhaps could've been a homerun king as well. He was a 10-time Gold Glove Winner, a Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same year. A extraordinary baserunner and a tremendous outfielder. He was the whole package. He was all you can ask for in a baseball player. ⚾️
Thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed that.
I was there at his 262 games where he hits number 262th hit against Chan Ho Park. One of the best to be playing in this game.
One of my all-time favorite players!
Love it Love it Love it.......Great video, I learned a lot about a player I never got to watch enough on tv, but I always knew would be a legend. I love your videos. Keep 'em coming
Thank you for such a kind comment! I’m glad you’re enjoying the content 🙌🏼
Anytime you are mentioned regarding counting stats in the modern era along with guys who were playing pre-integration, you are a special special dude. Hornsby would probably struggle to make an all-star game in this age.
First ballot. Special , unique, total class act . Can't say enough.
Ichiro is a one of a kind!
Ichiro could easily be considered the best baseball player of all time!
The first piece of jewelry I owned was in 2006 and it was an Ichiro watch when he was in Seattle. I'm as diehard of a Yankees fan as the average New Yorker, but Ichiro will ALWAYS be in my top 3 discussions. Dude is a legendary figure in baseball. I love telling my students sports stories, especially when it comes to my favorite players and Ichiro is a regular topic of discussion.
I wear #51. Ichiro is my favorite player of my lifetime!
Legend on and off the field!
The record "record" graphic at 10:00 is so amusing
This dude was so fun to watch.. He was unreal at times! Another superb job and video, Cam!🎉 Happy Holidays bud!
Thank you Chris, and happy holidays! 🙌🏼
He's the best baseball player I've ever seen.
I'm not satisfied with the result that he didn't win the MVP when he reached 262 hits and topped George Sisler’s 84-year-old record for the greatest number of hits in a season in 2004.
Unfortunately, MVP voting has been very unkind to high average, low power hitters over the years. Despite such a remarkable accomplishment, it seemingly gets overlooked time and time again.
I’ve been waiting so long for this video. Man is an absolute unit. Thanks for the content man!
Absolute unit indeed! Glad you’re enjoying the content 🙌🏼
Thanks for compiling Ichiro's amazing career. Great job +++
It was my pleasure, and thank you for watching!
He averaged over 205 hits his 10 years in MLB ... does anyone honestly think if he started in MLB he would not have the hits record .. exactly 💯
He developed in Japan, which helped him in the mlb. Would he have developed if he started in the mlb? Who knows? The us doesn’t develop as well
Ichiro, your favorite ball player's favorite ball player. Some people are just too damn good, and he got to the show fashionably late.
Ichiro is the best pure hitter of all-time. And that’s coming from a San Diego native, the birthplace of Ted Williams and home of the beloved Tony Gwynn. It’s insane to think that Seattle had 4 of the greatest ball players of all-time in the same era and let them all basically slip away. What would a 2000s Mariners team have accomplish if they had Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, and Ichiro all on the same team? That would have been insane
Disagree completely. He struck out every 9.9 at bats, which is well down the list. He also batted .311 which, although very good, is down the list.
Your editing is crazy good. Not sure how you get all those old videos of the players. I’m from Seattle and forgot how incredible that 10 year stretch was for Ichiro. Thanks for the video, look forward to the next one.
Thank you so much! I appreciate the kind words.
With players like Ichiro in the last 20 years or so footage isn’t terribly hard to find, however, those ‘80s and ‘70s guys I’ve done were very difficult 😅
Ive watched baseball for 40 years hes best hitter ive seen
Great video on the legendary Ichiro @cam23 👊
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed 👊
Call me crazy but he is in my top 10 players of all time
You're not crazy, he is one of them.
He was a hit machine with speed a great glove and a Canon for an arm one of the all time great no question about it
All of the videos you do are just amazing in all aspects. Please do one on Dave Winfield. Please, please and please.💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽
Ichiro was the reason I played college baseball. Without knowing prior to this video, I switched from lefty to righty because for me I found I made better contact there to help the team and I could drag bunt like no other. Anyways I was never big 5’7 3B aren’t going far back in the 2000s even today. Anyways my high school coach who was little league coach at the time started calling me ichiro because I would get on base no matter what and I carried that to a small d1 scholarship. Besides my parents and coaches, it was constant watching ichiro in game of power hitters that gave me hope that I could make it, never did but never would of got past high school if it wasn’t for ichiro
I may have missed it if you did mention this one:
Ichiro never played a single minor league game. Obviously he wasn’t going to be playing in the minors when he signed to play MLB, but he never even needed a single rehab stint. Lol
the next great Japanese OF arm could be Chusei Mannami. A lot of NPB fans are saying he has the best arm in RF since Ichiro. 24 y/o half Congolese, half Japanese kid with some boom. He's a walking highlight reel and it feels like he does something in RF every day that doesn't make it into the box score, but does a lot to prevent runs.
All of the people who knew him said that man could hit during practice but he decided to not hit as hard in actual games as to be moderate or whatever. He did what he needed to do to get the W and he did it efficiently!
More power to him! I believe Wade Boggs had a similar approach. In my opinion, I’ll take a .320+ average and low K numbers over a .250 average with high K and power numbers
@@Cam23 Indeed, it kind of plays into the old saying quality over quantity. But I guess he did the opposite with a quantity that had more quality in the end, so he killed two birds with one stone in a way.
He was my second favorite player behind Chipper. I loved this era of baseball.
Amazing vid and production quality, thanks for making this so I could learn all about this remarkable dude.
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video and found it informational. Ichiro was a blast to learn more about, he is truly a unique individual.
1995 and 2001 was the only years my mom cared about baseball. Thats how historic those mariner teams were.
That's when you know those teams were special!
If Ichiro somehow doesn't get elected on his first ballot next year I'm pretty sure baseball fans will riot
I would question everything if he doesn’t get in on his first ballot 😂
I've been waiting for this one! Love this channel.
Thank you for the suggestion 😎 I’m glad to hear you enjoy the content I greatly appreciate the support
This was a great video cam
Thank you so much!
3:40
In talking about the two PL championships he and the Orix Blue Wave won in 1995 and 1996, we must not forget the M7.3 earthquake that occurred in the early morning hours of January 17, 1995, just before 6:00 am. The epicenter was only 8.8km (5.5miles) away from their home ground, Green Stadium Kobe.
The highway was overturned and the train station collapsed. More than 6,000 people died in the massive fire and the collapse of their homes.
In such a state of Kobe, Blue Wave was a star of hope.
So Taguchi, who later won two championship rings with STL and PHI and was teammates with Ichiro at the time, said that he felt "we had to do our best" when he received a huge cheer at the first game held at Green Stadium Kobe that year.
The Orix Blue Wave, with a patch on their jersey sleeve that read "GANBARO KOBE" (meaning "hang in there, KOBE") and with Kobe's heart on their shoulders, made great strides and won the PL championship for the first time since the parent company of the baseball team was changed from Hankyu Corporation to Orix.
Incredible! Was a absolute pro
Wow. I need to start watching baseball. Im utterly impressed by this mans, everything. Like the kids would say, What a G!
He's a wonderful role model for any baseball fan and player
Imagine if he went to the mlb in his early 20s
His MLB stats are amazing on their own but dude already had a full career in another country beforehand. Unbelievable
He's the greatest hitter I've ever seen in person!
No way he doesn't get 100% of the vote in the Hall of Fame!
Don't need to worry, he's going to the HOF, if he doesn't go on first ballet that's a crime against the judges and they should be fired.
Ichiro is a gift from Japan to the baseball world .
This guy brings tears to my eyes. Literally.
Seen him play against the Giants in San Francisco. He beat out an infield single with such tremendous speed. He looked like a blur going down the first base line. Not easy to do against major league infielders.
Well produced video.
Thank you for this 💯
I appreciate the kind words! Thank you for watching
Its crazy who good he played
He is one of the GOATS simply put.
Ichiro was my favorite player after Ken Griffey Jr. and I’m a Dodger fan.