After adding Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva to a pitching rotation already consisting of flame-throwing Felix Hernandez, the Seattle Mariners appeared capable of competing with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the American League West title.
Currently, Seattle is 12.5 games behind the first-place Angels. The Mariners have been plagued by injuries to both Bedard and now Hernandez, but the team as a whole is playing like a middle school team.
A team that was solid defensively last season has already committed 35 errors.
J.J. Putz, Seattle's closer, blew Sunday's game against the Yankees by making a throw to first that probably should not have been made. Putz had to dive towards first to cut off a slow roller to second. As he got up to throw from his knees, the ball slipped out of his hand but he decided to continue his throwing motion anyway. The result: an overthrow which allowed the tying run to advance to third with one out.
Robinson Cano hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game and Matsui tagged to second base.
Jose Molina hit a fly ball to the right-center field gap. The ball appeared to have been hit high enough for gold-glover Ichiro Suzuki to be able to catch the ball out of the air. To everyone's surprise except Ichiro's, the ball fell in, due to Ichiro's circuitous route to the ball.
This type of lackadaisical play seems to be routine for Ichiro. Yankees' TV commentator Michael Kay commented on Ichiro's recurring sluggish, hot-dogging style of defense. Kay claimed that it is very unusual to see a Japanese player treat the game with disrespect like Ichiro has simply because Japanese players are taught to respect baseball and play that way.
Defense is not the only part of Ichiro's game that lacks intensity. It is currently the end of May and Ichiro is batting .292. Some major leaguers would kill to have this average, but Ichiro has much higher expectations than almost any other major leaguer.
Ichiro has been part of Seattle's struggles and it appears that he wants out of Seattle. Where he will go is obviously not yet determined, but it is clear that he would rather play for any team other than the Mariners. The way he is playing right now, he has the potential to give a bad influence to his younger teammates. If Seattle is smart, Ichiro will be dealt mid-season.
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4 months ago
Yeaaah. They're not trading Ichiro he is the face of the Mariners and makes them one of the most marketable teams overseas. Ichiro's play can easily be attributed to him sending a message about his feelings about McLaren as anything else. They have built a team and a lineup around him and his talents, they aren't going to just completely change direction because of two bad months now.
4 months ago
Ichiro isn't going anywhere.... you could say anyone of the mariners are lackadaisical are they going anywhere too? no... ichiro is playing just like everyone else on the team which is with little to no passion cuz the team is not playing together and struggling at the plate. It would be a mistake to deal ichiro the one who needs to go is the skipper, before getting griffey back mclaren needs to go.
4 months ago
If Ichiro is so lackadaisical in the field, how do you explain the amazing catch he had the other day crashing against the wall?
4 months ago
In response to Chris and Todd, I think it is clear that Ichiro is the star on Seattle. When the star is not happy the star wants out. It is clear that Ichiro does not want to be on this team and that he would much rather prefer to be on a better more competitive contender.
Although Ichiro helps the Mariners overseas, you can't have players who simply don't want to be playing on your team. I did not personally interview Ichiro, so I don't know what he is actually feeling. I just think, based on what I have seen, that Ichiro is not enthusiastic anymore in Seattle.
Certainly getting a new manager may help the overall situation, but if Ichiro is not happy he needs to go. You can't have someone like Ichiro negatively affect the players on this team.
Braden -- how do you explain LOSING A GAME BY NOT GOING HARD AFTER A BALL? I also saw him be lazy in the field under other circumstances.
4 months ago
As expected by a "Yankees" commentator and the general East Coast "holier-than-thou" attitude. "Treating the game with disrespect," are you frigging kidding me...! It's common knowledge around here Ichiro exude nothing but respect for the game, from the way he personally maintain every single piece of gears he used to being early and first on the field in preparation for every games. In case you haven't notice, Mr. Kay, Japanese baseball doesn't have the flash of slamming into the wall for every lackadaisical deep pop-up or doing a face plant in the dirt and breaking your wrist in the process and be out for the rest of the season, but hey, at least you made the highlight reel (i.e. a certain Japanese Yankee, ironically). No passion, on pace to set a new career high single season SB record, all in a vain effort to ignite a nonexistent offense, no really, the man is negatively affecting his teammates by getting into scoring position by any mean necessary for them.
Going hard after a ball, crashing into the wall and the M's still lost that game, by whose standard are you propping up for this "lazy" bs...remind us again how high your horse is when playing center field in the MLB.
from about 1 month ago
In case you haven't notice, Mr. Kay, Japanese baseball doesn't have the flash of slamming into the wall for every lackadaisical deep pop-up or doing a face plant in the dirt and breaking your wrist in the process and be out for the rest of the season, but hey, at least you made the highlight reel (i.e. a certain Japanese Yankee, ironically).
If you said this in understandable English, I might have responded earlier. Trung-Hieu, Ichiro is playing in America. He should play the American version of baseball -- not the style you claim is played in Japan. This means if he can catch a ball by hustling (meaning diving or crashing into a wall) he should do so.
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