Jump to content

Ichiro and hits record


catchoftheday

Recommended Posts

yes, but Sisler never had to deal with:

 

expansion

batting gloves

sunglasses

a depleted ozone layer, making hitting a breeze

162 games

video tape practice

batting cages

pitching machines

fungo bats

batting helmets instilling a sense of security in the batter

bad umpiring

retractable roofs

astroturf

comfy plane rides, as opposed to riding those bikes with the real big front wheel

the internet

nutritionists

steroids

 

so, in conclusion, and i thing everyone will agree, if George Sisler was playing nowadays, he would average about 450 hits per season. 400 on an off year. :whistle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ichrio on Ichiro

 

Book review: Ichiro once asked to be sent to minors

 

By Bob Sherwin

Seattle Times staff reporter

Obscured behind a wall of language and culture, Ichiro remains as enigmatic today as he was four years when he became the first position player from Japan to play in America's major leagues.

But a newly released book, "Ichiro on Ichiro," first published in Japanese in 2002 and translated into English for this version, sheds light on the man behind the impassive mask. Japanese writer Narumi Komatsu sat down with Ichiro after last season and he opened up to her in detail about his life and his craft for an additional chapter.

 

In what is essentially a 242-page Q&A, Ichiro talks about his long-held aspiration to play in the major leagues, to challenge himself, and how he met those challenges his rookie season for Seattle in 2001. That year he became just the second player ever to win the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards along with the batting title and stolen-base crown.

 

What might be of particular interest to Seattle fans is his final chapter, which is really the only thing new in this edition: "My Life as A Mariner." It recaps his time in America before this year, especially his 2003 season, and reveals that the "Hitting Machine" has a very human and sensitive side.

 

Among the 2003 revelations:

 

? When Ichiro got off to a poor start, hitting .243 in April, he told manager Bob Melvin that he would accept a demotion to the minors.

 

? As he approached the 200-hit plateau for the season, he was continually nauseous.

 

? Then when he finally reached 200 hits on Sept. 20, he said it was the first time he ever cried over a hit.

 

? He loves "the rhythm of the fans" at Safeco Field who help him perform better while the incessant noise of the fans in Japan "creates a kind of barrier between the players and the fans."

 

Melvin said recently that he remembers meeting with Ichiro when he suggested that he could go to the minors.

 

Book review

 

 

"Ichiro on Ichiro"

Ichiro with Narumi Komatsu

 

Sasquatch, $23.95

 

 

 

"I thought he was kidding at first," he said. "I didn't know what to say. He's so accountable for what he does that there was probably seriousness to it. I never took it seriously. We're talking about the best bat-handler in the game ... I remember thinking when he left, 'Did he really say that?' "

 

In his book, Ichiro said of his motivation for talking to Melvin: "If one of the players, say, were to go to the manager and ask why he was still playing me, he could tell them what I'd already said to him, and tell him how I feel about it. Then that player would come away with a totally different impression."

 

Ichiro believed "It would be OK to go to the minors. I never would have been able to say something like that my first year on the team. That first year I had to make it no matter what, and there was no way I wanted to be sent to the minors."

 

As it turned out, Ichiro broke out of his early 2003 slump, hitting .389 in May on his way to a .312 average. He also got off to a slow start this April with a .255 average but is now hitting .373 and on pace to break the all-time record for most hits in a season.

 

Ichiro solved those early slumps because of his obsession to detail. Ichiro goes to great length in his book to describe the slightest nuances and how a minute change can make a major difference in his results. For Ichiro, if a toe is awry or, presumably, a hair is out of place, then that has an impact on his swing.

 

"In the batter's box you try really hard not to show the letters on the front of your uniform to the pitcher," he said in his book. "I became too conscious of this and found that, when I got set to hit, everything had shifted toward the catcher, even the toes of my left foot. Usually when I am set, the toes on my left foot face straight forward and my right foot is angled slightly in, but now I was getting set with both feet pointing toward the catcher.

 

"If you're turned in too much like that and have a tough ball to hit, you have to get your body... back to where it should be ... Your body shakes a little, of course, which blurs the incoming ball. So I was having a lot of trouble picking up the ball correctly."

 

He didn't have trouble for long. Ichiro has hit well above .300 all four seasons in America and this year became the first player to have 200 hits in his first four seasons. He said that has become a personal quest for him, defining him as a player. Last year after he reached 200 hits in Oakland, when he returned to his position in right field, he teared up.

 

"You couldn't tell," he said, "because I had on sunglasses."

 

He is human, after all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...