Another step toward Cooperstown

イチローの挑戦

Hitting a baseball has often been called one of the hardest jobs in sports. A hitter must swing and control a piece of wood to make it connect with a spinning, speeding, curving ball that is being aimed near his body at speeds that can exceed 160 kph. Some reckon that a batter must begin to swing before the pitcher releases the ball if he is going to make contact.

All of this occurs under hothouse conditions, with considerable distractions -- noise from the fans, bright lights, a psychological battle with the opposing pitcher and catcher -- day in and out for over six months a year. It is little surprise then that the record for hits in a single season has been held for over 84 years -- one of the oldest records in baseball -- by Sisler, a player from the St. Louis Browns who had 257 hits in 1920.

But then players like Ichiro only come around once every several generations. That may be why many consider him something of a throwback, a pure hitter in an age that worships power and the Herculean strength of Mr. Barry Bonds, the home-run hitting king of the San Francisco Giants. Ichiro takes his job seriously; he is the leadoff man and he is supposed to get on base. That he does. Whether it is a bunt, an infield chop that allows him to beat the throw to first, or one of those seemingly effortless pokes that delivers the ball to where an infielder isn't, Ichiro collects hits. This year, he has had four 5-hit games, six 4-hit games, 24 3-hit games and 46 2-hit games. He had been shut out only 26 times this season.

Credit an old-fashioned work ethic. Ichiro has worked tirelessly since he first picked up a bat to perfect his swing. He has developed a way to work the ball, to anticipate the pitch and to get his hands in position to direct the bat and guide the ball. He is aided by being left-handed, which means he is closer to first base when he makes contact with the ball, and by being plain fast -- Ichiro gets to first in 3.6 seconds; the average major leaguer takes 4.3.

Some disparage Ichiro's effort, claiming that Sisler established the record in a 154-game season. That argument gets trotted out every time someone challenges a long-standing record. Roger Maris heard it when he bested Babe Ruth with 61 home runs in a season; some said he should put an asterisk next to his record. The best rejoinder to this is that a longer season means players are more tired by the end. And they face fireballing relievers -- specialists who come into a game late, ready to do battle.

Nonetheless, Ichiro has managed to collect one record after another. During his nine seasons with Orix in the Pacific League, he was a four-time All Star. He racked up 1,278 hits and left the country for the U.S. majors with a .353 hitting average. In his first year in the United States, in 2001, he collected 242 hits, breaking the previous record for hits by a rookie (held by "Shoeless" Joe Jackson since 1911). That helped win him the American League's Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year. This year is the fourth season that Ichiro has had at least 200 hits, the first player to reach that mark; he has broken the record for most hits over a four-year period. He has won three Golden Gloves, awarded by other players, for his tenacious defense in right field during his first three years.

For all his accomplishments, Ichiro remains a student of the game. In 2001, he made a trip to Cooperstown, New York, to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was there when he was named the Rookie of the Year. When asked about the trip, Ichiro talked more about holding Jackson's famous bat than his award. The balls that he hit up the middle to pass Sisler are on their way to the Hall. Ichiro needs six more years in the majors to qualify for membership. If he completes those six seasons, this year's record will only be one of many highlights when they induct him. It promises to be quite a list. Ichiro will continue his assault on the baseball record books.

The Japan Times Weekly
Oct. 16, 2004
(C) All rights reserved

      時速160キロに達する直球や自在な変化球を打つために、打者はボールが投手の手を離れる前にスイングを始めなければならないと言われる。しかもファンの歓声、球場の照明、相手チームのバッテリーとの駆け引きに気を散らされることも多い。1920年のシスラー（セントルイス・ブラウンズ）の記録が84年間破られなかったのも不思議ではない。

      サンフランシスコ・ジャイアンツのホームラン王、バリー・ボンズに象徴されるパワー万能の現代野球で、イチローは異色の存在だ。　

      イチローはたゆまぬ練習、研鑽により独特のバッティングスタイルを作り出し、左打ち、俊足を活かしてヒットを稼いでいる。

      シスラーは1シーズンの試合数が154だったとき（現在は162試合）に記録を作ったので、イチローの記録とは比較できないという議論もある。

      しかしイチローは、これまで様々な新記録を樹立している。パシフィック・リーグのオリックス・ブルーウェーブ時代には、4回オールスターに選ばれ、1278安打を放ち、平均打率 .353を残した。01年、大リーグ入りして最初のシーズンに242安打でジョー・ジャクソンの新人最多安打記録（1911年）を破り、アメリカン・リーグのMVP賞、新人賞を獲得した。

      イチローは新人賞受賞のときにニューヨーク州クーパーズタウンにある「野球殿堂博物館」を訪れた。イチローがシスラーの最多安打記録を更新したボールは殿堂に保存されるが、イチロー自身は後6年大リーグでプレーしなければ殿堂入りの資格がない。殿堂入りすることになれば、今回の最多安打記録は彼の数多くの記録のひとつに過ぎなくなるだろう。これからもイチローの記録への挑戦は続く。