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White Sox’s Rikuu Nishida has hilarious reaction to Ichiro comparisons after elite defensive play
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- White Sox’s Rikuu Nishida has hilarious reaction to Ichiro comparisons after elite defensive play
White Sox's Rikuu Nishida has hilarious reaction to Ichiro comparisons after elite defensive play appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Japan is taking over in the South Side. Munetaka Murakami has been one of the best players in baseball during his rookie season with the Chicago White Sox . The slugging first baseman has an American League-leading 18 home runs already since signing from Japan, and he is quickly looking like one of MLB's biggest stars.
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Now, Rikuu Nashida looks like he might be ready to make a name for himself, too. The Japanese outfielder made his debut with the White Sox in their 3-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on May 25. Nishida was responsible for the highlight of the game. With the score tied 1-1 in the second inning, Nashida fielded a ground ball in right field that he scooped up and launched on a rope to home plate to put Orlando Arcia out. It was an impressive display of arm strength that directly resulted in a win and has White Sox fans excited for what is to come from their newest Japanese rookie sensation.
After the game, a reporter compared Nashida's throw to a play that Ichiro Suzuki would make. Of course, Suzuki is the pride of Japanese baseball players. What was meant as a compliment left Nashida giving a hilarious reaction of disagreement.
"No, don't compare [me] to Ichiro," Nashida exclaimed. "No, no, no, no. Still heavy is my number 51. I want to change my number right now… I cannot be like Ichiro.
Suzuki, who rocked the number 51 long before Nashida, is clearly a player that the White Sox's youngster looks up to, but Nashida recognizes he has a long way to go to deserve any comparisons to the 2025 Hall of Fame inductee.
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