Ichiro keeping plans to himself
Longtime great wants to savor time in Japan to open 2019 season
Ichiro Suzuki is enjoying it while he can.
He’s back in Japan and sure to play at Tokyo Dome when the Seattle Mariners face the Oakland Athletics in two games to open the Major League Baseball season. He’s 45 and knows it can end any moment, but if he has a grand retirement plan, he isn’t revealing it.
“This is a great gift for me,” he said, speaking through an interpreter at a Saturday news conference. “I will treasure every moment here on the field. One week after this event, I will be reflecting back on these days, so I will make sure I remember every moment here in Japan.”
At least one reporter asked him the question directly. “How will you know when it’s time to stop playing? How will you know when it’s time to step aside?”
“I have no idea when I will know that,” he said. “I’m not used to questions like that.”
Suzuki can do the math that raises the question.
He has hit .080 in spring training this season and was hitting .205 when he stepped aside early last season, temporarily retiring to become a Mariners special assistant. The Mariners can accommodate him now with a special 28-man roster for the Japan visit, but it will revert to 25 when the season resumes in the United States a week later.
Suzuki recounted previous springs when he hit poorly and then produced, or seasons when he hit in the spring and then struggled en route to 3,089 hits in the majors and 1,278 more in Japan.
“Based on my spring training, I shouldn’t be here,” he said, seated next to Mariners manager Scott Servais and Japanese rookie pitcher Yusei Kikuchi. “You can never predict what is going to happen based on spring training. Now I am back in Japan, and (a) country I love, to show what I can still do.”
Suzuki called himself “lucky,” acknowledging that “being Japanese” is a key reason why he’s included to play in Tokyo, where he remains a huge draw. He will be the first Japanese player inducted into the Hall of Fame and is almost certain to go in on the first ballot.
The Mariners and Servais are on the spot. Suzuki is revered in Japan, partly for longevity and breaking though at the top. He’s still highly visible on television commercials around the country, and some Japanese are aware that some of his attraction is now partly commercial.
“We’re really taking it a day at a time,” said Servais, whose team is rebuilding with younger players. “We’re looking at the two games here against Oakland. He’ll be available in those two games and we’ll see how it goes. We’ll take it from there. He’s had an unbelievable career.”
Yankees: Left-hander CC Sabathia threw his first simulated game since undergoing a heart procedure in December.
Red Sox 6, Braves 1: Chris Sale made his spring debut for Boston, striking out seven in four scoreless innings. AL MVP Mookie Betts hit his first home run and singled. Jackie Bradley Jr. had an RBI double and stole a base.
Yankees 17, Blue Jays (SS) 7: Aaron Judge hit his spring training-leading sixth home run, foiling Toronto’s fourman outfield with a drive into the players’ parking lot. Gleyber Torres also homered for New York. J.A. Happ started, pitching three innings and allowing three runs.
Marlins 11, Mets 6: Robinson Cano had a double and two singles, boosting his average to .457 for New York. Michael Conforto had a two-run homer and RBI single. Starter Jason Vargas gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in four innings.
Note: Bryce Harper was out of the Philadelphia lineup for Saturday’s game against Houston, one day after sustaining a bruised right ankle when hit by a pitch. Manager Gabe Kapler says he has no concerns about Harper being ready for opening day.