The post Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto link up with Ichiro Suzuki before Mariners game appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Not only did Ichiro Suzuki have an impact on the Seattle Mariners , but Japanese players everywhere did. Among them is the Los Angeles Dodgers dynamic duo of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto . On Friday, before the Dodgers/Mariners game, the two got the chance to meet their idol , per Lookout Landing.
While taking warmups in centerfield, they didn't hesitate and sprinted over to Ichiro, who was waiting for them. Both the Dodgers and the Mariners entered Friday night with the same record, 90-69. Additionally, both had clinched a playoff spot, and they had some.
On Thursday, the Dodgers won the NL West after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-0. Also, the Mariners followed suit, winning the AL West . Meanwhile, for the Dodgers, they have the benefit of having Ohtani and Yamamoto on top of their game. Going into Friday, he is batting .280 with 54 home runs and 101 RBIs.
Unsurprisingly, Ohtani remains in the hunt for the NL MVP . As for Yamamoto, he has an ERA of 2.49 with a 12-8 record and 201 strikeouts to his name. Despite an overall solid year, he did fall short of being the guaranteed Cy Young Award contender that manager Dave Roberts predicted he would be.
However, none of that appears to matter to Ichiro.
From the time he broke into MLB in 2001, Ichiro opened the door for other Japanese players to make that transition from the Far East to the Far West. Altogether, his unique style of play and consistency proved that other Japanese players could succeed in MLB.
Besides the on-field success, Ichiro was able to compel others to follow by remaining true to himself. During his career, he embodied prevalent Japanese values, including humility and hard work. Simultaneously, he became an ambassador for bridging the gap between Japanese and American players in the years ahead.
If not for Ichiro, there would be no Ohtani and Yamamoto.
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