SF Giants reflect on Ichiro’s career ahead of Hall of Fame induction

SAN FRANCISCO There s one memory that instantly comes to mind when Bob Melvin reflects on the two years he managed Ichiro Suzuki It was May and the Seattle Mariners were in Chicago playing the White Sox The Mariners front office advised Melvin that Suzuki who was hovering around pounds needed off days So following the first encounter of the three-game set Melvin notified Suzuki that he d have the second competition off He just looked at me Melvin disclosed I revealed Look come in late get a massage do whatever you have to do I m not going to need you until the seventh or eighth inning The next day arrived When Melvin walked into the visitor s dugout roughly minutes before the challenge there sat Suzuki in full uniform with his bat and his glove In Melvin s recollection Suzuki s knee was going about miles an hour Melvin inquired Suzuki what he was doing Suzuki replied that he was ready to go As they chatted a kid walked by in the stands wearing Suzuki s jersey Ichiro just kind of nodded and I got it Melvin noted Not only is he a great baseball athlete that commits to playing every day and wants to be there for his organization every day He understood that he was an entertainer and people came to watch him play He took that very seriously Suzuki who finished with hits between Japan and the United States will be one of five players inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame Sunday the other four being Vallejo native CC Sabathia Billy Wagner and former Oakland Athletics Dave Parker and Dick Allen Melvin had a front-row seat to Suzuki at his peak serving as the Mariners manager in and during his first gig as a major-league skipper He was the lowest maintenance competitor I ve ever had in my life Melvin noted All you had to do was tell him what time the championship was and he was as prepared as any performer that I ve ever had He was committed to baseball like no competitor that I ve ever had Among those watching Suzuki during his prime were Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and reliever Ryan Walker the former wearing No to honor Suzuki His discipline even as a kid stuck out mentioned Walker who grew up miles north of Seattle When you re so young you don t really notice that but with him there was something different The work he put in every day you could just see it As a kid that was pretty motivating No one else is on the field but there s Ichiro on the warning track running poles He really took the event seriously Added Lee through club interpreter Justin Han He s the first ever Asian sportsman to be elected Big fan If you talk about career everybody knows what Ichiro has done His attitude and his love to the tournament aren t things that everybody can do Walker s father Mark was among those in attendance at Safeco Field on October when Suzuki broke George Sisler s record for the the bulk hits in a single season Also in attendance was Melvin who was in his second and final year managing the Mariners Suzuki began that legendary season with a slow April ending the season s first month with a batting average and OPS From there Suzuki proceeded to hit with a OPS en track to urgent Sisler s record It felt like he got two or three hits every championship Melvin stated He was on a mission Once he got close you knew he was going to break it His preparation and what he does never alters He works every day He continues to work right now as a baseball competitor He takes batting practice He throws with the guys every day He just loves baseball perhaps more than any competitor that I ve ever had Melvin and third baseman Matt Chapman also had the opportunity to witness the final challenge of Suzuki s illustrious career when the Oakland A s played two games against the Mariners at the Tokyo Dome in March The place felt like it was going to collapse Chapman revealed It was so loud It was awesome It was really cool to be a part of that Obviously it s well-deserved for him to be a Hall of Famer He described me before that that was going to happen how it was going to all go down Melvin declared We had dinner two nights before in Tokyo I was just honored to be there I don t know that there s an induction that I m going to be watching closer than this one