East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, March 22, 2019, Image 11

East Oregonian : E.O., March 22, 2019, Page B3, Image 11

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Newspaper Page TextSPORTS Friday, March 22, 2019 East Oregonian B3 Ichiro walks off into history in ‘sayonara’ at Tokyo Dome By STEPHEN WADE and TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writers TOKYO — At times, it seemed as if he’d go on hit- ting forever. But on Thursday night, a player who deﬁ ned baseball at its very best on two con- tinents for a generation took his ﬁ nal swing. The great Ichiro has said “sayonara.” Now 45, Ichiro Suzuki left the Tokyo Dome ﬁ eld in the eighth inning, wav- ing goodbye to the packed crowd amid hugs from Seat- tle Mariners teammates in a three-minute walk that sig- naled to all his monumental run was over. “I have ended my career and decided to retire,” Ichiro said, speaking in Jap- anese at a news conference after a 5-4 win over Oak- land in 12 innings. He said his contract was through the two games in Japan, and said he decided before arriving last week to step away. “After the reception I got today, how could I possibly have any regrets?” he said. “I couldn’t play well enough in spring training to earn an extension.” Ichiro went 0 for 4 in his farewell. In his last at-bat, he came up with two outs, a runner on second and a tie score in the eighth. He hit a slow grounder to shortstop and, still hustling the whole way, was barely thrown out at ﬁ rst. He took his spot in right ﬁ eld in the eighth, then was pulled by manager Scott AP Photo/Koji Sasahara Seattle Mariners right ﬁ elder Ichiro Suzuki returns to the ﬁ eld for waiting fans after Game 2 of the Major League baseball opening series against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on Thursday. Servais and the walk into history began in front of a sellout crowd of 45,000. He strolled in, turned and waved to the crowd with all of the usually reserved Jap- anese fans on their feet. To chants of “Ichiro, Ichiro, Ichiro” he was greeted at the dugout — and later in the dugout — by emotional embraces from teammates. Yusei Kikuchi, the Jap- anese rookie pitcher who started the game in his big league debut, openly broke down crying when he embraced Ichiro. Kikuchi later took a full minute to compose himself before respond- ing about Ichiro’s impact. And he cried when the two embraced in the dugout after the game. “Since spring training to this day, Ichiro told us it is a gift for him to play in Tokyo,” Kikuchi said speaking through a transla- tor. “But for me, he gave me the greatest gift that I can play with him.” Yet when Mariners team- mate Dee Gordon bowed, Ichiro broke into a laugh — like, “not necessary, bro.” Oakland players stood solemnly and watched cam- era ﬂ ashes and iPhones catch the historic scene. All over the stadium signs read: “Ichiro we love you” and “Ichiro is Life.” Fans wore his famous No. 51 in all shades, colors and from all eras. The fans got one more chance to salute when he came back on the ﬁ eld after the game and acknowledged their ovations. Ichiro was 0 for 5 in the two regular-season games against the A’s in Tokyo, leaving him with 3,089 hits in 19 seasons — a sure Hall of Fame resume. He had 1,278 before that over nine years in Japan, making him baseball’s all-time hits leader. Ichiro struggled in spring training with only two hits in 25 at-bats. And in two exhibition games in Tokyo against the Tokyo Giants he was 0 for 6. “I really wanted to play until I was 50, but I couldn’t do it,” he said. “It was a way of motivating myself and, if I’d never said it, I don’t think I would have come this far.” Ichiro praised his coun- trymen, who are famous for being reserved. Not tonight. Not on this night. “Japanese people I have always thought don’t in gen- eral express themselves,” he said. “But today’s experi- ence blew that away. They were incredibly passionate tonight. “When I look back on my career, I know I will remember today as the most memorable day, without a doubt.” For years, Ichiro’s at-bats were must-see TV in his homeland, with fans tun- ing in during breakfast and their morning commute. A star before he left, he became an even bigger sen- sation once he proved that yes, a Japanese hitter could indeed succeed across the ocean in the majors. He said he’d probably train Friday, keeping up his workout routine, but wasn’t sure what comes next. He joked he lacked the “cha- risma” to be a manager. “I’ll be known as the ‘Man Formerly Known as Ichiro,’” he cracked. Ichiro’s retirement had been anticipated for a while. The outﬁ elder returned to the Mariners before the start of the 2018 season, then transitioned last May into a role as the special assistant to the chairman that allowed him to still be with the team and take part in pregame workouts, but meant he could not play in any games. Ichiro was a 10-time All-Star, an AL MVP and Rookie of the Year and won 10 Gold Gloves. He set the record with 262 hits in a season and wound up with a .311 batting average. He became one of the most important ﬁ gures in baseball history, and not just because of his stats and awards. Ichiro carried the burden of an entire country in com- ing to the United States, and his success created oppor- tunity for the countless others who have followed. Whether he wants to accept the label or not, Suzuki was a trailblazer. His inﬂ uence and importance shouldn’t be understated. He preceded Hideki Matsui, who had a stellar career with the New York Yankees, by two years. In the years since, players like Nori Aoki, Kosuke Fuku- dome and Kaz Matsui fol- lowed. Last year marked the arrival of two-way sensa- tion Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani said he watched highlights of Ichiro’s ﬁ nal game when he woke up at Los Angeles Angels’ camp in Arizona. “I still can’t believe it,” he said through a translator. “I won’t be able to see him play anymore but I’ll still have all the memories.” Boston’s Mookie Betts says he expects to become free agent FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Don’t expect AL MVP Mookie Betts to agree to a long-term con- tract with the Boston Red Sox before he can become a free agent in late 2020. Despite Mike Trout’s $432 million, 12-year agreement with the Los Angeles Angels, Nolan Arenado’s $260 million, eight-year deal with the Colorado Rockies and Alex Bregman’s pending $100 million, six-year contract with the Houston Astros, Betts is content to remain on track for testing the market. “That’s exactly what I expect,” he said Wednes- day, the day after Trout’s deal became widely known. “Didn’t expect anything to happen until I’m a free agent. So, it’s just one of those things where you just got to go out and play. Can’t worry about the econom- ics of the game right now. They have to take care of what they have to take care of. I’m going to take care of what I have to take care of. But the common thing is to win a World Series, and I think that’s deﬁ nitely what we both want to do.” Manny Machado joined the San Diego Padres as a free agent on a $300 million, 10-year deal while Bryce Harper AP Photo/John Bazemore, File Boston Red Sox’s Mookie Betts connects on a solo home run in the seventh inning of a spring training baseball game against the Atlanta Braves on March 16 in Fort Myers, Fla. signed with the Philadel- phia Phillies for $330 mil- lion over 13 seasons. Betts, 26, one of the best players in baseball since making his major league debut in 2014, has a $20 million, one-year contract and is eligible for arbitra- tion again next winter. “I’m under no pressure to do anything,” Betts said. “It’s OK for two sides to dis- agree. That’s perfectly ﬁ ne. It’s normal. I got two more years, going to make the best of them. Got to worry about Year 1 right here. I’m going out and doing my best to help the team win, and also next year. It’s just one of those things where it’s all right to disagree.” Betts said he loves Bos- ton and playing for the Red Sox. But he also has other things in mind. “I’ve deﬁ nitely grown to love going up north in the cold and all those type of things,” he said. “But it deﬁ nitely doesn’t mean I want to sell myself short of my value. “Everybody values dif- ferent things — what do you value, where you’re going to be in ﬁ ve years. “I deﬁ nitely don’t pay that much attention to it that far in the future. I kind of worry about what’s going on now and just being treated fairly. I think that’s just kind of the main thing. “The biggest thing in my mind is just to be treated fairly.” EASTERN OREGON marketplace Place classified ads online at www.easternoregonmarketplace.com or call 1-800-962-2819 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. After hours, leave a voicemail and we’ll confirm your ad the next business day. Email us at classifieds@ eastoregonian.com or fax: 541-278-2680 East Oregonian Deadline is 3 p.m. the day before publication 211 S.E. Byers Ave. 333 E. Main St. We accept: Pendleton, OR 97801 Hermiston, OR 97838 See www.easternoregonmarketplace.com for classified ads from all over Eastern Oregon EAST OREGONIAN • HERMISTON HERALD • BLUE MOUNTAIN EAGLE • WALLOWA COUNTY CHIEFTAIN 104 Special Notices ARE YOU BEHIND $10k OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & au- dits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call: 1-844-229-3096 (PNDC) 104 Special Notices PLEASE CHECK YOUR AD ON THE FIRST DAY OF PUBLICATION. While we are happy to make any necessary corrections, we can not be responsible for errors appearing for mul- tiple days. Thank you! 110 Announcements Over $10K in Debt? Be debt free in 24 to 48 months. No upfront fees to enroll. A+ BBB rated. 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