April 2, 2001: First-born son

SEATTLE - There was no way to prepare for what was coming.

American baseball fans were told that it was a big deal that Ichiro Suzuki was joining the Seattle Mariners for the 2001 season. They had been told that he was, by far, the most popular athlete in Japan. They had been told that he was, without question, the best player in Japanese baseball.

But there's no way anybody could have predicted the tidal wave that came next.

From deciding to put only his first name on the back of his jersey (his name meaning "first-born son"), from the odd stretching routine he went through before each pitch, to the awkward, jerky swing he used, Ichiro seemed like nothing more than an curiosity.

Except that his every move was documented by the hoards of Japanese reporters and photographers who shadowed him. Ichiro would jog in the outfield before a game, and the photographers would take pictures. He'd chat with a teammate, and photographers would take pictures. He'd sit on the bench doing nothing, an photographers would take pictures. They ignored his other teammates, focused solely on documenting Japan's favorite son as he tried to make it in the big leagues.

Oh, and did he ever make it. Starting on opening day on April 2, when he got two hits to lead the Mariners to a comeback victory, Ichiro immediately proved that he was worth the hype. If he dropped a bunt in front of you, there was no throwing him out. If you played the infield close to defend against the bunt, he laced a pitch into the gap for a double. If you dared to try to take the extra base against him, he threw you out, even if he had to uncork a 330-foot laser beam to nail you by a whisker at third.

In short, Ichiro was a phenomenon. And with him at the top of the lineup, the Mariners became a juggernaut. Despite losing mega stars Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, and Alex Rodriguez the previous three seasons for budgetary reasons, Seattle ran roughshod through the American League, going 20-5 in April and 20-7 in May, finishing with a record-tying 116 wins before getting upset in the playoffs by the Yankees. And Ichiro was the catalyst, leading the league in batting average, stolen bases, and hits, cruising to both the Rookie of the Year and the MVP awards.

Nine years after becoming the first native Japanese player to play every day in the majors, Ichiro is still going strong, displaying a remarkable consistency. His 9 straight years with at least 200 hits is a major-league record, and since his debut he leads all major leaguers in runs, hits, and stolen bases, and trails Albert Pujols by one batting average point. And he is still followed by hoards of photographers everywhere he goes.