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Japanese style gives Ichiro edge

By KEVIN KELLY

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 2, 2001

All three hit for average and occasional power.

So what is the one difference among Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs and Ichiro Suzuki? Ichiro, the Mariners' Japanese sensation, breaks all conventional rules at the plate.

"He's all over the place," said Gwynn, a .339 hitter over 20 seasons. "He's running, body one way, bat going the other."

But that incongruity melds into something harmoniously effective.

Ichiro has thrived in what already is the longest season of his professional career in part because of the way he swings the bat. He leads the American League in average (.350) and hits (205). And last month he batted .429 with 6 walks, 12 strikeouts and 6 stolen bases.

"He has the ability to make contact," said Boggs, who hit .328 over 18 seasons. "He doesn't strike out very much. He doesn't walk very much. It's a unique style that the Japanese have formulated.

"And it's a difficult style to perfect, but they perfect it at such a young age that it's the only way they know how to hit."

Boggs and Gwynn both note that Ichiro's success at the plate is due in part to his hands.

His body may move all over the batter's box, but the hands remain quiet. That makes him less likely to be fooled by a pitch or, if that does happen, he can adjust quickly and still make contact.

Difficult to throw out on slow grounders in the infield -- he can race from base to base in less than four seconds -- Ichiro had 40 infield base hits as of Friday.

"If you try to teach that style, guys would bring their hands with them and constantly be out in front and beat the ball in the ground," Boggs said. "But he has the ability to take that step toward the pitcher as he's going to hit the ball and still hit it with authority.

"He can hit bullets from the third-base line to the first-base line. In order to do that, you have to keep your hands back."

PLAYOFFS OR BUST: If Barry Bonds is to remain in San Francisco -- his three-year, $30.7-million contract extension expires after this season -- Giants managing general partner Peter Magowan needs the team to go deep into the playoffs.

Doing so would add profit, which would in turn give owners more financial leeway to re-sign Bonds and those around him. The majors' home run leader said recently he would take a pay cut to stay in San Francisco with a winning team.

"If we don't win then we've got to ask ourselves, why didn't we win, and what's it going to take to sign him, and will our chances be better if we sign him or don't sign him?" Magowan said. "That sounds like a very stupid sort of question. How could your chances be better when you didn't sign him? But there are a certain amount of dollars to spend, and how can you put the best team together with a certain amount of dollars?"

E-SOMEBODY: Padres third baseman Phil Nevin, who has made a league-leading 24 errors this season, has a difficult time fielding balls as it is without having a bat hurtling toward him.

But that's what happened during Wednesday's game against St. Louis.

Bobby Bonilla struck out and unintentionally let go of his bat as runners broke to second and third. Nevin darted into foul territory to avoid being hit as Padres catcher Ben Davis threw to third base trying to nail Edgar Renteria.

The throw bounced into leftfield for an error and both runners scored.

The Padres protested the game, citing interference.

"Nobody would have been able to make that play," Nevin said. "You have to be in the situation to know it, I guess. You are looking at guys (umpires) who haven't played the game, and you're having them make those judgments. Nothing against them, but clearly that was interference."

BECKETT'S TIME: The Marlins' announcement last week that pitcher Josh Beckett will make his major-league debut against the Cubs on Tuesday came exactly two years after he signed a four-year, $7-million contract. The 21-year-old right-hander was 14-1 with a 1.54 ERA and 203 strikeout in 140 minor-league innings this season.

"'It's been fun," said Beckett, who pitched just 591/3 innings last year because of shoulder tendinitis. "I know I'm not going to be back next year, or rather I'm going to try hard next spring training to make it apparent I don't belong here. ... I'm really looking forward to it."

BY THE NUMBERS: With his homer on Wednesday against Cleveland, Boston's Manny Ramirez has driven in at least one run against every team he's played this season. ... Andres Galarraga has more RBI (26) since being traded to the Giants on July 25 than J.T. Snow has had all season (24). ... Expos pitcher Javier Vazquez was 5-1 with a 0.55 ERA in six starts last month. He struck out 45 and walked eight in 49 innings.

ODDS AND ENDS: Friday marked two months before baseball's labor agreement expires. ... Former Dodgers general manager Kevin Malone test-drove a new career last week as co-host of a sports-talk radio show in Los Angeles. ... After seven years in the minors, pitcher Scott McRae, a former 32nd-round draft pick, has called up by the Reds. TELL ME YOU'RE KIDDING: Of all the players the Yankees could have chosen, 31-year-old pitcher Orlando Hernandez greeted the Little League World Series team from the Bronx on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. Much like Danny Almonte, the 14-year-old who pitched to stardom for the now-banned Rolando Paulino All-Star team of supposeded 12-year-olds, Hernandez's age has been questioned since he signed as a free agent in 1998.

-- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

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