Ichiro more than just a player

Ichiro Suzuki -Miguel Michan - Flickr

 

 

Ichiro Suzuki is not just an inspiration to Japan, but to all baseball fans. He is one of the best players in baseball history with all of the tools to be successful.

Ichiro was born in Kasugai, Japan on October 22, 1973 and practiced baseball daily with his father. After playing eight years in the Pacific League in Japan, where he hit .353, he became a free agent. The Seattle Mariners were interested in Ichiro and signed him. However critics believed that Ichiro would not perform well in the majors because of his small size and people thought he wouldn’t be able to endure the long 162 game season."I'm anxious to face them (major league pitchers) all, but in reality I'm looking forward most to (Boston's) Pedro Martinez," Ichiro said in 2000, the year before his major league debut.

Ichiro proved critics wrong right away. In 2001, Ichiro’s first year in the majors, he hit .350 and stole 56 bases. Not only was he the obvious 2001 Rookie of the Year choice, but he also took MVP honors. There was no longer a doubt in anyone’s mind that Ichiro wasn’t suited for the majors.

Two-thousand-four was a record setting year for Ichiro. He hit an unbelievable .372 and set the single season record with 262 hits. From 2001 to 2010, Ichiro hit above .300 and had over 200 hits in each season. Finally in 2011, his single season batting average sunk below .300 and he did not attain 200 hits, batting .272.

Ichiro currently has a .326 career average, 2428 hits, stole 423 bases, and has a great chance of being the first player to be elected to both the Japanese and MLB Hall of Fame.The speedy, smart, clutch-hitting outfielder has since become possibly the best player in baseball," the Seattle Times wrote. Ichiro surpassed Major League standards. He also became the first Japanese every day position player to play in the Majors, showing that Japanese players can be just as good or better than American baseball players.

Pain, Suffering, and Success

Mickey “The Mick” Mantle was one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the sport. He was born to play. Some people even say that Mantle never reached his full potential. By the age of 19, he suffered major injuries to both of his legs as well as his left shoulder. However, these injuries did not hinder his accomplishments. He won four Home Run Championships, a Triple Crown; and three MVP awards in his 18 year career with the New York Yankees.

Although he accomplished so much, his career was unfortunately plagued by injuries. In high school, Mantle developed osteomyelitis in his left leg, which is a bone disease caused by bacteria or fungi. At first, his only option was amputation, which would have destroyed the great baseball career that did not even start yet. His leg, as well as his career, was saved by a "new miracle drug" called penicillin.

His second career threatening injury occurred while he was playing for the New York Yankees in the major leagues. Mantle was the Yankees leading hitter. A sprained right knee in game two the 1951 World Series resulted in him sitting out the rest of the series. That same year, the Yankees announced that they had no idea what affect the osteomyelitis would have on his career.

Mantle led the Yankees as they dominated through the late 1950s and into the early 60s. From 1955 to 1958, the Yanks won the American League Pennant, and took the Series in 1956 and again in 1958. When Mantle won the Triple Crown in 1956, he posted a .365 batting average, 52 homers, and 130 RBIs. He was close to breaking Babe Ruth’s record of most home runs in a season, which stood at 60, but he only hit 54, beaten by his teammate Roger Maris, who ended up besting the record with 61 home runs at the close of the season.

Although Mickey Mantle’s strong 18 year professional career with the New York Yankees was tortured by his many injuries, which included osteomyelitis, he still did better than his best. His many injuries did not prevent him from achieving any of his goals.