Ichiro vs. Shinjo a milestone matchup

BEN WALKER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published Saturday, March 9, 2002

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Ichiro Suzuki took his lead off second base and playfully pointed at Tsuyoshi Shinjo in center field.

"I was egging him on to see if he could throw me out," Suzuki said.

That potential play at the plate never developed Friday, but a bit of history did when the Seattle Mariners took on the San Francisco Giants.

For the first time, two position players from Japan faced each other in a major league game in the United States.

"For the Japanese players and fans, it's a great day," Suzuki said through a translator.

"For me, I wanted to pitch. That would've had some meaning," he kidded.

"But just another center fielder and right fielder, it didn't have much meaning."

Suzuki went 2-for-4 in the Mariners' 13-8 win, leading off the spring-training game with a single that Shinjo scooped up.

"Ichiro always get a hit, it's nothing special," Shinjo said through a translator.

In his final at-bat, Suzuki lofted an easy fly that Shinjo -- taking his usual little hop to make catches -- grabbed with his bright red glove.

Shinjo was 1-for-3, and both players were out by the end of the fifth inning.

Japanese pitchers have faced each other in major league games.

But until Suzuki, an All-Star right fielder and the AL MVP, and Shinjo arrived last year, no one from Japan had become an everyday player.

The matchup drew huge interest back home. More than two dozen photographers and cameramen came from Asia, and the game was televised on tape delay in Japan.

"It is a historic day," said reporter Takeo Nakajima, part of NHK television crew from Tokyo.

Enough to make it look like more than a usual exhibition at Scottsdale Stadium.

"It's quite a scene," Giants manager Dusty Baker said, watching autograph seekers clamor for Suzuki and Shinjo to sign before the game.

First, though, Suzuki and Shinjo had some catching up to do. They had not seen each other since an All-Star game in Japan a few years ago, so they spent a couple of minutes together in center field prior to the start.

"It was mostly light -- how are you, how have you been, how do you like Scottsdale?" Suzuki said.

Suzuki and Shinjo played in different major leagues in Japan, and never faced each other in the regular season or playoffs. They only times they met on the field came during exhibitions and All-Star games.

"Even on television, I didn't get a chance to see him," Suzuki said. "I'm not that familiar with Shinjo's style."

Shinjo, traded from the New York Mets to the Giants in the offseason, clearly is more flamboyant with his orange wristbands and brightly colored glove. He's also married to a fashion model.

"Ichiro is a better player, I'm more popular off the field," Shinjo said. "I enjoy baseball, and I enjoy things outside of baseball, too."

Suzuki and Shinjo never crossed paths Friday as they ran on and off the field, and the Mariners and Giants do not meet in interleague play this year.

But both teams take on the St. Louis Cardinals, who have outfielder So Taguchi in camp. That could make for the first such matchup in the regular season.

"Obviously, today was a big event," Suzuki said. "In the future, I think it might come to a point where it's not such a major event. But it might not come for a long time."

M's 13, Giants 8

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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