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Year of Ichiro Fellow All-Stars marvel at Mariners' rookie outfielder
Updated: Tuesday July 10, 2001 1:39 AM
SEATTLE (AP) -- His cap backward, Ichiro Suzuki got a quick hug from Ivan Rodriguez, bounced into the cage for batting practice and sent the first pitch over the right-field wall. The huge roar from the hometown crowd at Safeco Field on Monday only confirmed what every other All-Star already knew: It's the Year of Ichiro! "This guy is one of the top five players in the world," New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza said. And in an All-Star Game full of intriguing subplots, Ichiro is the main reason fans in more than 200 countries are likely to watch Tuesday night. Not to see what else Roger Clemens can throw in Piazza's direction. Not to hear A-Rod get booed at his old ballpark. Not to enjoy the tributes to Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn, either. "I'm pretty sure that every TV in Japan will be tuned into the game," NL starter Curt Schilling said. "One of the things a veteran pitcher told me a long time ago is that as an opposing pitcher, you have the ability to shut up a stadium," he said. "I have the ability to shut up a country for a few minutes." Schilling will get his chance when Ichiro leads off the bottom of the first inning for the American League. "My philosophy is, I see the pitch I can handle and I hit it hard," Ichiro said through an interpreter earlier in the day. This from a serious student of the game, whose Zen-like approach leads him to observe: "Each hit has its own character." A seven-time batting champion in Japan, the 27-year-old Seattle outfielder leads the majors in hits and is tied for the top in steals. Ichiro is hitting .347 for the best team in baseball and leads the AL in runs scored with 76. "He was in the wrong league there," said San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds, who played against Ichiro on postseason tours. "Now he's in the right league. He was too good to play over there." Ichiro also piled up big numbers at the polls. The rookie was the majors' top vote-getter in fan balloting for starting spots in the All-Star Game. "I did not expect the honor, so I would not have been disappointed if I did not make the All-Star team," he said. Now, he's drawing a crowd wherever he goes. "It is Ichiro-mania here," Kansas City first baseman Mike Sweeney said as a swarm of cameras surrounded Ichiro during a morning news conference. "People walk in and we all just point over there.' Rarely has there been so much buildup for one player in the All-Star Game. Pedro Martinez got it in 1999, and responded by striking out former MVPs Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa and Jeff Bagwell -- and Mark McGwire -- in two innings at Fenway Park. Hideo Nomo backed up the Nomo-mania hype by pitching two scoreless innings in 1995. Bo Jackson lived up to the "Bo Knows" ads by becoming the MVP in 1989 and Dwight Gooden, the youngest All-Star ever at age 19, struck out the side when he relieved in 1984. Count Cincinnati first baseman Sean Casey among those interested in getting a first-time view of Ichiro. "I'm looking forward to seeing Ichiro, because everybody is looking forward to seeing him," he said. "It will be interesting to see him take batting practice and things like that. His style is different. It's stuff you don't see." Such as the Sumo-style squats he does before hitting. Or the rice balls, made by his wife, Yumiko, that he eats prior to games. Not to mention his Gold Glove-caliber fielding, rocket arm and daring baserunning. And, his hitting. A line-drive guy, Ichiro's ability to pull a ball deep when necessary prompted baseball to consider adding him to the AL squad for Monday night's home run derby. Arizona's Luis Gonzalez won the event, beating Sosa in the final round. All that even though Ichiro has hit only five homers this season and has the slightest build on the AL team -- he's listed at a mere 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds. Montreal outfielder Vladimir Guerrero has seen Ichiro, sort of. Guerrero likes to fool around on his Sony PlayStation, fiddling with a baseball game. "A lot of times I set it up with the Seattle Mariners as the opponent," Guerrero said through an interpreter. "Ichiro does pretty well against me." Ichiro will join Seattle teammates Edgar Martinez, Bret Boone and John Olerud in the starting lineup. There are eight Mariners on the AL roster -- if all of them see action, they would become the first team to get eight players into an All-Star Game. Alex Rodriguez, who left the Mariners for Texas as a free agent, and Arizona pitcher Randy Johnson will return to Seattle. Clemens will start for the AL and is expected to go two innings. He'll face Piazza for the first time since throwing the shattered barrel of a broken bat in his direction during last year's Subway Series. Piazza missed last year's All-Star Game after being beaned by Clemens. "I'm sort of -- ambivalent? Indifferent? 'Irrelevant' is too strong a word for me," Piazza said. "These things are perpetuated. I've moved on." The AL has won four in a row and 10 of 13. The NL leads the overall series 40-30-1. Ripken and Gwynn will make their final All-Star appearances. Ripken will start for the AL, while Gwynn is an honorary member of the NL team and will not play. "My priority is to get everyone in the game," AL manager Joe Torre said.
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