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© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Ichiro is about to get his Hall of Fame moment. For Japan, he's more than just a baseball star
By STEPHEN WADE TOKYO©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
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John-San
I want to his last game in 2019 at Tokyo Dome. It was a sell out stand room only. I bumped into Mariners supporter from Seattle. One told me worked the bar where the Mariners frequent. I replay yeah I find that hard to believe, I through they were all Soy Latte’s drinkers. Coming from wokeville his mate was chugging on a beer at the time and spray it out choking on it. We all had a good laugh had some good banter and all enjoyed Ichiro last game.
collegepark30349
One of only 5 players in the history of MLB (since 1876) to have a .300+ average, 3,000+ hits and 500+ steals (not to mention his defense). Not only an outstanding player, but also one of the biggest what-ifs. What if he had come to MLB sooner? What if he had some decent protection in the lineup? What if he hadn't started in the steroid era when pitchers were juicing? We won't see another like him for a long, long time.
kohakuebisu
This is completely deserved. Ichiro is an all-timer.
Probably could have pitched at a high level too with more encouragement, though a waste for such a defensively strong player.
browny1
Always liked his independent streak.
He didn't play the "media game" here in Japan which put more than a few noses out of joint.
And rightfully so. He was shown little respect by them at a time when baseball was essentially ruled by the Yomiuri Machine with Watanabe at it's head. Central League looked down on Pacific league as 2nd ranked.
So Ichiro had a lot to prove when he went to Seattle.
He stayed with them for the majority of his MLB career, refusing offers to move until later on.
No doubt if he played for the Yankees, Dodgers or Red Sox from the word go he may well have tasted championship success.
But he was his own man - a star.
iknowall
Ichiro will go into the Hall of Fame as professional baseball’s all-time leader in hits with 4,367 (3,089 in MLB and 1,278 in Japan) — more even than Pete Rose's 4,256.
This is not true. Rose had 427 hits in the minor leagues, plus 4,256 hits in MLB (4683 total), so Rose still is 316 hits ahead of Ichiro.