I want to say that I have always been an Ichiro fan. With the exception of when he played against the Yankees, I have always rooted for him. He was probably one of my favorite non-Yankee players. And it was more than his game play; he just seemed like a genuinely humble guy that loved the game.
Back in June of 2012, BYB wrote about the possibility of having Ichiro in pinstripes, read ICHIRO IN PINSTRIPES? ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE. It was far fetched, but he was in the last year of his contract and, hey, we can dream, right? Fast forward a few weeks later and Jay Buhner is making some really rude comments, read (ICHIRO TO THE YANKS IS MY PIPE DREAM) about the idea of re-signing Ichiro and that making him want to vomit. About two weeks after that, the Yankees shocked the fans by announcing that Ichiro would in fact wear pinstripes! It not only put BYB on the map, it re-energized his love of the game.
Ichiro came to us hitting .261. Playing for Seattle, the Mariners were getting younger and changing and that had an affect on him. He admitted to needing a team where he felt he fit in. Just the change from Seattle to New York was enough to kick him into high gear.
We are starting this season with a number of our big hitters on the DL, including Derek Jeter. It is very rare to find a player with Jeter’s ability to lead the team. Ichiro has that ability, I'm stating it now. With all the question marks looming over our line-up, there is no doubt in my mind that Ichiro will step up and help this team early on, both in the clubhouse and at the plate.
We love
Ichiro Suzuki here, and we are grateful to have him. A lot of times, he has been
exactly what the Yankees line-up needed. In 2013... trust me, it will be no different.
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