Ichiro Suzuki brought gratitude and humility to the stage in Cooperstown at his Baseball Hall of Fame induction.
But in a 20-minute speech, the Seattle Mariners’ newest Hall of Famer also brought the jokes.
Ichiro did interviews throughout his career almost exclusively in Japanese with an interpreter, although his teammates often remarked how funny he could be.
On Sunday, Ichiro spoke in English, and he showed it.
He set the tone early, remarking how people always focus on his records, the 3,000 hits and the 262-hit season. “Not bad, huh?” he remarked with a grin.
He made sure to call out the one writer who hadn’t voted for him to make the Hall of Fame:
Ichiro was sure to display that key mantra, “Know thyself.”
He also mentioned that when the Marlins called to sign him in 2015, he had never heard of their team. That’s on the border of whether he was being serious or not.
Maybe the best part: Ichiro did an impression of Mariners’ broadcaster Rick Rizzs’ calling one of his signature throw outs.
On the field, there will never be another Ichiro.
That’s true off the field, too. A true legend of baseball, never to be matched.
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