Shohei Ohtani is quickly becoming a baseball legend in two countries, but he didn’t miss an opportunity to pay respect to a legend who was an MLB star before him: Ichiro Suzuki.
Prior to the Angels’ Monday game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park, Ohtani was warming up on the field when he spotted his icon. He jogged all the way from left field to right field to greet the 10-time All-Star.
Every person can learn from this. One of the greatest people to ever play the game in Ohtani, showing tremendous respect and gratitude towards Ichiro
Young kids should be seeing this and learning, no matter how great you are, always be respectful to other players/people https://t.co/fHkZwIyEsN
— Chad (@OldStudGrove) April 4, 2023
Ohtani a longtime fan of Ichiro
Ohtani was seven years old when Ichiro made his MLB debut. An entire nation idolized the 10-time All-Star, and the greatest two-way player in the sport’s history was among them. As such, Ohtani has been starstruck by Ichiro on several instances.
Whenever Shohei Ohtani meets Ichiro Suzuki, he always shows respect ❤️ 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/w4pMTqyyql
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) April 4, 2023
The two first met during the 2018 spring training season when Ohtani prepared for his MLB debut. Even though they are old friends at this point, the Angels two-way star has not wavered in his admiration for the Seattle great. The second that he saw Ichiro in right field during the pregame, Ohtani immediately ran over to catch up with his childhood hero.
Los Angeles Angels' Shohei #Ohtani takes off his hat and bows to former Seattle Mariners player #Ichiro Suzuki before a baseball game Monday, April 3, 2023, in Seattle. For @AP_Images pic.twitter.com/hkQzsDd30R
— Lindsey Wasson 📸 (@lindseywasson) April 4, 2023
The Two Stars met in 2018
It has been five years since the two baseball legends met for the first time. But the bond that the two Japanese greats share is a testament to their impact on the sport and their country. In many ways, Ohtani is very much like Suzuki. Both are universally respected and loved by people around the world.
Suzuki is now a special assistant to the Mariners chairman and a hitting instructor. He often comes out in uniform to watch the team’s home games and Ohtani makes it a rule to greet him in person whenever he visits Seattle.
Their meeting was of particular interest to American media due to their shared success in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), which ended last month with Japan as the champion. Ohtani, who played both as a pitcher and batter, led his team to the championship and was named MVP of the tournament.
大谷 翔平#WorldBaseballClassic
Via: TV Asahi pic.twitter.com/q221l14WVl— Cut4 (@Cut4) March 22, 2023
Suzuki, who played in the inaugural 2006 and 2009 tournaments, also led Japan to both championships as the team’s leading hitter. He also knocked in the winning run in the final against South Korea in 2009. MLB.com dubbed their encounter as “a meeting of WBC championships”.
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