SEATTLE — Ichiro Suzuki walked into the visiting clubhouse last night at Safeco Field, looked around at all his new Yankees teammates, took a deep breath and smiled.
CC Sabathia was the first Yankee he spotted. Ichiro walked up to the big lefty and said, in perfect English: “CC, how you doing? Good to see you again.’’
A few seconds later, Ichiro was giving Derek Jeter a hug. Jeter smiled and asked, “Are you older than me?’’
Ichiro smiled and said: “By one year. What’s the difference?’’
The two superstars, who own a combined 5,746 major league hits, laughed. Exactly, what’s the difference?
Sure, the Yankees got a little older yesterday, but they got that much more interesting. It took less than a minute for Ichiro, a 10-time All-Star with the Mariners, to feel at home in the Yankees clubhouse. Then he went out and looked at home in their lineup. He slapped a single to center his first time up, after bowing twice to the cheering 29,911 fans, and caught a fly ball for the final out of the Yankees’ 4-1 win.
“Ichiro is a rock star,’’ said Alex Rodriguez.
The Yankees don’t need Ichiro to be Ichiro the All-Star. They just need him to be a little bit like Brett Gardner, bring the element of speed back into the lineup.
Ichiro, who will turn 39 in October, is proudly accepting the challenge. Don’t bet against him.
Afterward, he admitted he was “really nervous,’’ but loved the experience. In the Mariners’ clubhouse he was The Man, now he is one of many stars.
“I would love to learn from them, study from them and do well,’’ Ichiro said of his new teammates.
He played right field and batted eighth and wore No. 31 last night. He is hitting only .261 this season with a .288 on-base percentage, 78 points lower than his career percentage. There is room for improvement.
Immediately after the trade he answered one of my questions by delivering a message to all of New York, saying through an interpreter, “Please be nice to me.’’
That’s fair. On the surface, Ichiro appears to be washed up, but the Yankees have a way of breathing life into an old player.
This is a chance worth taking. After all, the Yankees are coming off a four-game set against the young upstart Athletics in which they were swept away. A few days ago, I wrote a column saying the Yankees needed to add speed to their lineup, that they are too dependent on the home run.
Yankees brass agreed, but instead of acquiring the Phillies’ Shane Victorino, the player I wanted, Ichiro was the Yankees’ choice because of his pedigree — and because the price was right. The Yankees only had to send pitching prospects D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar to grab Ichiro, who wanted to escape the rebuilding Mariners.
What struck me most about Ichiro during the long day’s night was his care in answering questions, the emotion he showed toward the Mariners and the fact that throughout the pre-game press conference, Ichiro’s back was ramrod straight. He sat firmly in his chair, a man exuding pride.
Ichiro will give this his best shot.
When I asked what it would mean to win a World Series, Ichiro said: “I’m not in position to comment on a World Series, based on my experience, but as I do my best to contribute for the Yankees I hope to get to a place where I can comment on that.’’
General manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees are hoping Ichiro brings that veteran magic that has worked in the past. The average age for the Yankees’ starters last night was 35
“Ichiro can hit, man,” Jeter said. “When you are playing against him he’s a guy you have to be real careful with. He knows what he’s doing.’’
Noted Rodriguez: “New York is going to fall in love with him.”
Jeter is feeling a little younger today. Ichiro was born Oct. 22, 1973. Jeter was born June 26, 1974. Ichiro had 10 consecutive seasons (2001-2010) with 200 or more hits, but now he must prove he can still do the job.
In so many ways, Ichiro is at home in his baseball journey.