Time Machine: Looking back at Ichiro’s MLB rookie season 20 years later

This story originally ran in the Japanese newspaper Yukan Fuji in 2021.

TOKYO — This year marks the 20th anniversary of Ichiro Suzuki’s debut in MLB, a season that would have a lasting impact on the game of baseball, the USA and Japan, and Ichiro’s legacy. Many tributes have been rolling in for the Japanese hero, including a long, elaborate piece in The Ringer, the prestigious pop culture website and podcast network, a work entitled, “The Colossal Legacy of Ichiro’s rookie season,” by Jake Kring-Schreifels, who described it as “the greatest rookie season in baseball history.” It drew heavily from my 2003 book “The Meaning of Ichiro.”

The tributes are well deserved as Ichiro’s 2001 campaign was a truly remarkable one, filled with grand achievements. They included leading Seattle to a AL West division crown with an all-time season wins record of 116, a mark that still stands today. They also included winning the American League batting crown with a .350 batting average, spraying hits all over the field no matter what the defensive alignment ,while also beating out a record number of routine infield grounders, and being selected A.L. MVP.