On April 2, 2001, Bret Boone jogged to second base for a chilly Opening Day in Seattle. The roof at Safeco Field was open, the upstart Oakland Athletics were in town, and ESPN2 had the national ...
Everyone knew about Ichiro. While we were in Japan, every time an American player got a base hit, you’d hear the term, “Nice batting,” in a Japanese accent over the speaker system.
By then, Ichiro had already amassed 1,278 hits and hit .353 in nine seasons with the Orix Blue Wave of the Japan Pacific League, winning seven consecutive batting titles in the process.