Tuesday night is shaping up to be an unforgettable one for Ichiro Suzuki. Expected to be inducted at Cooperstown, his name is appearing on 100% of the ballots so far. Ichiro could join Mariano Rivera as the second player in the sport’s history to earn a unanimous Hall of Fame nod, set to be headed alongside CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.

Suzuki is almost always associated with a Seattle Mariner player. And yes, he did spend a huge part of his career there. But then there was the Miami Marlins, too, where he got 3,000 career MLB hits. However, while he is getting the highest recognition in sports today, he was once doubted. Because ‘How can a 5-foot-9 and 170-pound player be any good?’ Even though he was a star from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League with Orix BlueWave, there was skepticism. Will an international player be up to standard for MLB?

Ichiro’s ex-teammate Mike Cameron revealed one such story of doubt that led to a beef within the Mariners. ESPN had reached out to Cameron and many more players regarding the outfielder heading to Cooperstown. Cameron then recalled a pivotal moment in Ichiro’s first spring training when things were not going his way. Frustrated by Susuki’s penchant for hitting to the opposite field, their then-manager Lou Piniella loudly vented in the dugout. “Can this guy f***ing pull the ball one time?” And what happened next was mind-blowing!

Ichiro Suzuki, calm and collected, stepped into the plate in his next at-bat. And then, there was a home run to the right field! Camero recalled, “He came around the bases with no animation or anything, same dry face that he always has with his shades on, then he takes his helmet off, takes his gloves off, puts his bat in his bat rack, his personal bat rack that was on the bench, and he sat down and he said, ‘How was that?'”

“And everybody just died laughing,” said Mike Camero. Well, Ichiro Suzuki then went on to shatter the MLB record for most hits in a single 2004 season. He earned the Rookie of the Year, and also the MVP. Experts now believe that Ichiro’s rise also challenged the cultural stereotype that people associate Asian athletes with US baseball. He proved that one doesn’t need to weigh more than 200 pounds for raw power. But how did Ichiro remain so calm?

Ichiro Suzuki’s journey from facing heat to winning hearts

Ichiro became a baseball icon with 10 Gold Glove Awards, over 3,000 hits, and a career that now puts him alongside legends like Ty Cobb. However, when he was in his twenties and stepping into MLB, it was not so smooth. There were no Japanese players who paved the way for him. Back then Asian players in MLB were rare and Ichiro knew that he would be judged in MLB. He shared, “As a player from Japan, as a guy that had led the league in hitting all seven years, and then coming over and being a first position player, I knew that I would be judged. And Japan baseball will be judged on how I did.” 

It was never easy for him. There was a time when fans threw objects from the stands and weren’t welcoming. Once even a quarter hit his head, and fans shouted for him to go back. However, Ichiro Suzuki, calm as ever, said, “I never thought anything of it.” Instead, he focused on his games with the Seattle Mariners, earned his titles, and then things changed.

“As I came back to Seattle, the cheers started getting louder and louder and louder as the season progressed. More and more as they got to see me and I did my thing, fans accepted me,” mentioned Suzuki. His gameplay and his charisma won fans over. He was funny, and his multilingual smack talk – who can forget that? And look at him now; he had once had skeptics throwing quarters at him, and now he is about to get into Cooperstown unanimously. What a journey!

Perseverance, groundbreaking, and the power to break barriers—that’s Suzuki. He led the way for players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and others to dream for more.

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