I used to tease him. I've never understood it's something like "The throw by Ichiro beautiful, peg he got him." Ichiro just defies what most athletes are capable of. In the bottom of the inning, Aaron Sele was inching closer to a shutout when Oakland center fielder Terrence Long led off with a single. Piniella: Ive seen some pretty good arms. Game after game, the Mariners skipper had watched Ichiro Suzuki slap and bloop and pepper fastballs everywhere between left field and the third-base dugout. He will join Alvin Davis, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, Dan Wilson, Ken Griffey Jr., Jamie Moyer, manager Lou Piniella and broadcaster Dave Niehaus. Before catching a flight back to Seattle, they grabbed hot dogs and leaned against the Phoenix airports high-top tables to discuss their trip. Mariners outfielder Kyle Lewis hit his fifth home run in eight games in the big leagues on Wednesday. When hes working, hes almost always in full uniform and going at maximum physical effort, whether running the bases, shagging fly balls or everything in between. Ichiro is famously baseball-obsessed with the entire process of getting ready to play the sport. In 2008, the National Baseball Hall of Fame awarded Niehaus with 0 Followers. From the beginning: Hired to be the Mariners' play-by-play voice for their first season in 1977, Niehaus witnessed 5,284 of the team's 5,385 games. MLB.com also offers extensive historical information and footage, online ticket sales, official baseball merchandise, authenticated memorabilia and collectibles and fantasy games. I was 27 years old when I came to Seattle. The Mariners front office, led at the time by general manager Woody Woodward, was skeptical of how Ichiros skill set would translate to the U.S. Retirement wasn't the 'R' word used Thursday for the how and why of Suzuki moving off the field. After making adjustments in spring training, he revised his stance, keeping both feet on the ground to better catch up to fastballs. Its a charisma that I think has to do with stature and perceived vulnerability.. And so that's why I feel good about not playing.. He also thanked Mariners ownership for the opportunity to contribute as a special advisor in his post-playing days. Within a couple of years, however, the teams leadership had come to embrace Ichiros unorthodox style. He was a goddamn special player to watch in his prime, and he was one of the few bright spots when the Mariners churned out forgettable team after . After being hampered by injuries in both 2018 and 2019, the Japanese star has now exceeded every expectation as a two-way player, leading the league in home runs (44) and total WAR (7.8) and posting a 3.36 ERA over 21 starts. I love the call on that play - the fact that the announcer has the time and presence of mind to include the "look at the throw from right" as the ball's still in the air makes it so much better to me. A laser beam, barely 10 feet off the ground, reached third baseman David Bell on the fly . He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in 1977 until his death in 2010. The call by Dave Niehaus may be as good as . "His whole day, his whole night, everything he thought about, was about the next day's game and being prepared for it, from the way he works out to the routine that he's on. He needed just 15 years to meet a milestone that is pretty much automatic admission to Cooperstown. But everybody knew it could only be Dave Niehaus. Ichiro received the most votes for the 2001 All-Star Game, the first rookie ever to do so. Looking back at Ichiros 2001, Colborn says one other memory stands out. 2023 Bonneville International. America's Pastime. By the time Colborn returned to Japan in 1997 as the Mariners new scouting coordinator for the Pacific Rim, Ichiro had become a national icon. Terrance Long was over halfway from second to third when Ichiro picked up that ball. Ichiro finished the year with 262 hits, a record that nobody has come close to touching since. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in 1977 until his death after the 2010 season. Jake Kring-Schreifels is a sports and entertainment writer based in New York. Twenty years later, Ichiros rookie season remains an inflection point, the beginning of a legacy thats opened the door for other Japanese position players to thrive in MLB. He also addressed Piniella. Ichiro beats Randy Johnson to the bag in his first All-Star Game. Youre going to hit a home run off Kevin Brown tonight, Colborn remembers telling him. But he comes to play every day and hes got a looseness to him, and you dont see any argumentative confrontations on the field that you want to cast him as the bad guy, Colborn says. Drayer: 10 months of preparation led up to Ichiros last two games, Ichiro came off the field one final time as a Seattle Mariners player on Thursday. He stops the ball with the greatest of ease. I think he liked that challenge and he was uniquely equipped to handle it, Stone says. He charged the ball and he threw a bullet to home plate and I did a double take. About an hour later, Ichiro led off the game by hitting Browns fourth pitch 400 feet and depositing it into the right-field bleachers. Sharing the field with his idols for the first time, Ichiro displayed his quick bat and strong arm, impressing Piniella and the rest of his temporary teammates. I remember how surreal it was on the bus just looking around like, Did that just happen? Boone says. Whether he wants to accept the label or not, Suzuki was a trailblazer. Ichiro came up throwing, and no one who saw it or heard Dave Niehaus' memorable call will ever forget it. Related: Groz Remembers: Ichiro's 'Star Wars' throw in 2001 2. Honestly, I was scared. In this outtake clip from Janis Joplin: Little Girl Blue . Tom Tango comes up with the idea of fun points based on fan polls to determine which players generate the most fun. You know how many times I saw Miguel Tejada field a ball and throw it? http://www.courtsidetweets.comRookie Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners shows off his cannon in right field by throwing out Terrence Long of the Oakland A. You knew the work ethic was there. Ichiro also showed off his power by smacking balls into the seats before moving to right field and unleashing rocket throws to the infield. Mr. Niehaus was more than just an announcer, he was family to the Mariners players and management. HERE COMES JOEY, HERE IS JUNIOR TO THIRD BASE, THEY'RE GOING TO WAVE HIM IN! For many, Ichiro wasnt just a baseball player; he was a transcendent figure who demanded to be seen in person. It is one of the best memories of my career, and I will never forget that feeling. Its harder to get a handle on it from your own chair in Chicago or your own domestic scouts. Colborn could attest, and after spending seven years as an MLB pitching coach, he returned to Japan in 2008 as the Rangers Pacific Rim scouting coordinator. Ken Griffey Jr., Jamie Moyer, manager Lou Piniella and broadcaster Dave Niehaus. **, Press J to jump to the feed. I think Japans athletes can inspire such hope in the Japanese people, Masujima wrote. It was the thing to do, Whiting says. And his unique approach to hittinghis on-deck stretches, circular bat warmup, and distinct scamper out of the boxdefied all baseball norms. David Arnold Niehaus (February 19, 1935 - November 10, 2010) was an American sportscaster. "The Throw" was electric, and one of Ichiro's first introductions to baseball in the United States. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, The subreddit for the bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players. It was stuff like that that I could pass on to help convince them, Colborn says of the Seattle execs. "The throw by Ichiro, beautiful peg. "I want to be like a researcher or a student of the game. Likewise, the fans invited Dave into their homes as he brought to life on the radio the heroics of such Mariners legends as Alvin Davis, Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner, Randy Johnson, Ichiro, Felix Hernandez and the list goes on and on.. Dave was the voice of spring and summer in the Northwest . Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He opened the eyes of America to Japanese baseball, Small says. Seriously, who does that? Legendary Mariners voice Niehaus passes away at the age of 75. Ichiro, whose arm could throw lasers "like something out of 'Star Wars,'" as late Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus famously said, retires as the active leader in outfield assists (123). "I recorded [the 2001 All-Star Game] on VHS and watched it at least six or seven times as a kid, so Ichiro leading off by beating Randy to the bag stands out to me a lot," Ty said. George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns had 257 hits for the St. Louis Browns in 1920, setting a major league record. All rights reserved. That changed after Ichiros breakthrough in the U.S. Matsui knew that the entire nation of Japan was looking at him, Whiting says. The Mariners gave already provided a number of exciting moments in the first week of Cactus League play. 51) Ichiro will first be eligible for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2025. Niehaus was the voice of the Mariners from their first game on April 6, 1977, through the end of the 2010 season with his golden Midwestern voice punctuated by his trademark "My oh My!" and "It will fly away!" calls. 51 rose to the occasion in the 2007 All-Star Game in San Francisco. Bell says the roster was full of professional, consistent players, but adds, I wouldnt say there were guys that were superstar players or elite, unbelievable athletes. Ichiro was the exception. SEATTLE (AP) Ichiro Suzuki's otherworldly talents made an early impression on Dave Niehaus, the Hall of Fame voice of the Seattle Mariners. As Ichiro went, so did the Mariners. It blows my mind how lucky Seattle sports fans have been with our broadcasters, No pressure to the new Kraken announcer crew, As a Blazers fan so happy Calabro is coming back. It's all about being prepared to play a major league baseball game. pic.twitter.com/NHiJ6PWM4P. He excelled at the little things, blending new school and old school, and carved out a niche that forced the rest of MLB to catch up. There was a sellout crowd on a summer Saturday night, and the introduction had all the parallels when the center of attention was finally introduced. America's Pastime. I get that question a lot, Ichiro said. Remembering Dave Niehaus. It is my greatest honor to have played for you as a Seattle Mariner.. David Arnold Niehaus was an American sportscaster. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. So I've often said that he was the easiest guy I've ever had to manage because all you had to do was tell him what time the game was and you knew he'd be ready and committed to go.". Or maybe at this age what I can do is prepare myself, train and see what I can do and the work I put in, see what happens to my body and performance," Suzuki said. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. David Arnold Niehaus (February 19, 1935 - November 10, 2010) was an American sportscaster. Whiting says this stance initially got him in a lot of trouble with minor league manager Shozo Doi, who opposed Ichiros leg kick and kept him on the farm team for the 1992 Orix BlueWave. [People] would pick up the newspaper and see Ichiro got two hits, and then several paragraphs down youd find out Seattle lost the game, he says. "You just look at the talent and say it's easy to come over and play like that, but it's not. "And I've been doing this my entire adult life, been in the game close to 30 years and met and played with and against every great in my lifetime really and never met one quite like Ichiro.". He found similar and prolonged success, racking up 16 home runs and 106 RBIs in his 2003 rookie season and then taking home World Series MVP honors in 2009. I could never imagine my career in America would last 19 seasons and that I would still be in Seattle today.","type":"markdown"},{"__typename":"ExternalEmbed","data":{"__typename":"ExternalEmbedContent","html":", What is your favorite Ichiro moment? SEATTLE Dave Niehaus, the Hall of Fame broadcaster who called Seattle Mariners' games from their first season through this year, has died of a heart attack. Heaps: Bench Chris Carson? But Colborn knew that the outfielder was special. Saturday, March 10, 2018 10:25pm. Remember, we won 116 games that year. George Sisler of the St. Louis Browns had 257 hits for the St. Louis Browns in 1920, setting a . The National League, originally founded in 1876, consists of the following teams: Arizona Diamondbacks; Atlanta Braves; Chicago Cubs; Cincinnati Reds; Colorado Rockies; Los Angeles Dodgers; Miami Marlins; Milwaukee Brewers; New York Mets; Philadelphia Phillies; Pittsburgh Pirates; San Diego Padres; San Francisco Giants; St. Louis Cardinals; and Washington Nationals. When I started facing him, one of the differences was the way he made our infielders rush, former As pitcher Mark Mulder says. The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. When Ichiro was in third grade, his father began training him to be a star. In 1983, Niehaus hired Rizzs to join the Mariners' broadcast team. I've always thought it was "The throw by Ichiro, beautiful peg, he got him." Seahawks running back Chris Carson is struggling with fumbles, and it's imperative he corrects the issue, says Jake Heaps. Even though I retired as an active player, baseball and Seattle have never left my heart, Ichiro said. Who cares if your glove is clean? And when he steals second, he don't say please. Importantly, Japanese players could measure themselves against Ichiro, who measured himself against MLB, Colborn says. Holy crap, I don't think I've seen this online before. "He's the most committed player that I've ever had," Melvin recalled. "The Throw" was electric, and one of Ichiro's first introductions to baseball in the United States. I remember it being almost in slow motion. [Orix executives] would come to the Kingdome and watch games and go to the office during the day, Colborn says, but the real, ultimate goal was for us to have first choice of their players., In 1999, two years before Ichiro hit free agency, Orix expanded its agreement, allowing players to travel to Peoria to join the Mariners for spring training. 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