PLEASANT SURPRISE: Ichiro Suzuki, preparing to bat in the eighth inning yesterday against the Twins, says batting leadoff “definitely does have a little more meaning for me.” (
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MINNEAPOLIS — The visits were done without fanfare. Four times Ichiro Suzuki has visited the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is not only a star; he is a fan of the game. The Yankees outfielder told The Post he finds a certain peace there that puts baseball in the proper perspective for him.
“It is pure,’’ Ichiro said of Cooperstown, where he will be enshrined someday as a player. He belongs there.
He also belongs in the leadoff spot more often for the Yankees and showed that again yesterday in an 8-2 pounding of the Twins at Target Field. Ichiro produced two more hits, extending his hitting streak to 10 games, batting .487 over that span.
Ichiro singled and scored in yesterday’s six-run third inning, a rare huge inning for the Yankees without hitting any home runs.
The Yankees are 4-0 in games Ichiro has batted leadoff, but he was quick to point out Derek Jeter is the leadoff hitter and he will happily hit anywhere in Joe Girardi’s lineup.
With Ichiro batting leadoff and Jeter batting second, the Yankees are a dangerous lineup but in a different way. Girardi may have to make adjustments to his lineup as time goes on and that may include pushing Alex Rodriguez down a few spots if he continues to struggle.
The bottom line is that Ichiro is producing in a big way for the Yankees (.328 since joining the club in July) and is loving his time in pinstripes.
“Obviously Derek Jeter is the leadoff hitter here, he has done such a great job,’’ Ichiro said through his translator, Allen Turner. “When I see my name in the leadoff spot, it definitely does have a little more meaning for me, I think just because of the fact that Derek Jeter is our leadoff hitter and, in a good way, it surprises you.’’
Like Jeter, the 38-year-old Ichiro has tremendous pride, and he has shown the baseball world he has a lot left. Wearing the Yankees uniform has been a godsend to his career.
“This team is very dangerous with the power it has up and down the lineup,’’ Ichiro said. “When I came here, I was hoping that I would be maybe that guy that brings a little more speed, maybe not the home runs that you are used to seeing with the Yankees but a separation caused by a different kind of baseball that I can bring to the game. It can be batting eighth, ninth or first, but that’s what I envisioned when I came here.’’
The experience of playing with Jeter has been better than Ichiro expected. Jeter’s 19-game hitting streak came to an end yesterday, but the two have been red hot.
“I was always on the outside looking in on Derek Jeter and seeing what a great player he is, but there are things you can’t see or can’t experience unless you are inside of it,’’ Ichiro said. “So now that I’m in, what I’ve realized is that he is the cornerstone of this team. He’s the one that is there and the team is around. As a person, he is the type of person that can make people feel comfortable, he can make people feel good. I don’t know if he is doing that by design or just naturally has that ability.’’
Ichiro had one other point to make about being a Yankee and playing with Jeter. “This is a special time right now,’’ he said with excitement in his voice. “This is a special experience to play with Jeter and the Yankees. When I am an old man I will look back and say, ‘What an experience that was to be on this team.’ Before I die, I think I will remember this time and what a special time this is. That is what I envision what it will be like when I get close to dying.’’
Ichiro’s passion for baseball comes through in many ways.