Ichiro feels better after sounding off
PEORIA, Ariz. – Ichiro Suzuki arrived at Mariners camp Tuesday to practice with Team Japan and acknowledged he aired complaints about the team’s direction to manager Mike Hargrove after last season.
That discussion – reports of which caused winter ripples on two shores of the Pacific Ocean – has left him refreshed and optimistic for 2006.
“We’ve talked about this over the off-season,” Ichiro said of the Mariners, through interpreter Ken Barron. “And for me, rather than keeping something inside, it’s better to get things out in the open.
“Now that things are out in the open, I feel really good right now, ready for the next season.”
Hargrove acknowledged the meeting last month. He called it productive for both him and Ichiro. The Mariners finished last in the American League West last season with a 69-93 record.
Ichiro was in the Mariners clubhouse to say hello to a few teammates and personnel still around hours after the team’s exhibition game at nearby Maryvale, Ariz.
He looked the way he did when he left Seattle last fall. That is, casually hip. A retro, tight, beige T-shirt with maroon piping and the word “Love” ironed-on across the chest accentuated Ichiro’s smallish, tuned frame. Designer blue jeans with the pant legs coolly faded were worn to the point of fraying across the thighs.
Seattle’s All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder also wore black suede, white-soled sneakers and had red-tinted, designed sunglasses propped over his eyebrows.
But what Ichiro said wasn’t the same, not after a second consecutive 90-loss season and career season lows of a still-respectable .303 batting average and 206 hits.
During the evening, his national team practiced on the Mariners’ fields. Japan has an exhibition against the Mariners tonight at the adjacent Peoria Sports Complex.
The Japanese team arrived Monday morning having advanced from the first round of the World Baseball Classic. Japan begins the second round in Anaheim, Calif. on Sunday.
Ichiro is 3 for 13 with an RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base through three WBC games. Two were Japanese routs. Then came Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Korea, after which Ichiro said: “I feel ashamed. If I was satisfied with my performance I should quit baseball.”
Tuesday, Ichiro said he’ll be OK after playing a few more games.
“All I have to do is play in the games get my timing back, those types of things,” he said. “Physically, I’m fine.”
He said he altered his off-season workouts to include more realistic batting practice. He enlisted pitchers to throw game-quality breaking pitches and also did more outfield throwing than he normally does over the winter.
The change, he said, was in anticipation of Japan holding pretournament workouts that were more like “regular-season practice over here,” basic batting practice against simple pitching and light, occasional infield and outfield work.
As for the changed Mariners – who signed pitcher Jarrod Washburn and designated hitter Carl Everett in the off-season – Ichiro was optimistic.
“I haven’t seen them play yet, so it’s hard for me to give an opinion on that. But I heard they are going in the right direction,” he said. “So I am looking forward to that also.
“Although the WBC is very important to me, the Mariners are very important to me also. I’m looking forward to playing.”
Hargrove said he doesn’t think Ichiro missing time with Seattle’s revamped lineup will affect the right fielder once he returns. That could be as late as March 21, if Japan advances to the WBC finals.
“It just gives other people more at bats,” Hargrove said. “Other than that, I wish he was here.
“Ichiro will be ready to play. This guy is as disciplined a player as you’ll ever see.”