Baseball Banter on a Hot Summer Day

Japan Forward

24-07-2025

Thoughts on the Little League World Series, Ichiro Suzuki's Hall of Fame baseball career and Shohei Ohtani's power surge for the Dodgers.
Tokyo's Joto Little League team will represent Japan at the 2025 Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (©LLWS)
Every summer seems to get hotter, so we need coping mechanisms ― more ice cream, please. Despite the heat, one of the fun things about this time of year is baseball. The enjoyment of playing or watching it, or talking or writing about it, can make the hottest weeks of the year almost bearable.
Youth baseball reaches the pinnacle of its season in August. The Little League World Series was first held in 1947, and it is held annually in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
A true international event for ballplayers for many decades, dreams are realized each summer for teams that qualify to represent their city, region and country. For example, Lake Mary Little League from Lake Mary, Florida, triumphed 2-1 over a Taiwanese team in the August 2024 final. That win will be talked about for decades to come in Lake Mary.
Representing Japan, Tokyo's Kitasuna Little League squad, located in the capital city's Koto Ward, has won the most LLWS titles (four, claiming the top spot in 2001, 2012, 2015 and '17).
In 2022, Japan overhauled various Little League districts throughout the nation. As a result, players from the Joto neighborhood in Koto Ward, who had previously competed for Kitasuna Little League, were then assigned to a different program, the Joto Little League.
This squad became officially associated with Little League International in 2022. And three years later, the Joto Little League program has recorded its first banner achievement, winning the Japan Region Championship with a 4-0 record. This includes a 15-4 rout of Yokohama Little League on Sunday, July 20.
Joto Little League now awaits the start of the international extravaganza in Pennsylvania. The Little League World Series is set for August 13-24, with Joto's first match against a Europe-Africa Region foe on August 14 at Volunteer Stadium. Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki lays down a bunt in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins on July 28, 2001. ( Ⓒ SANKEI)
In the spring of 1999, while wrapping up my final semester at Arizona State University, I also attended several spring training games. Taking a break from classes and homework to watch baseball and write about it always seemed like a good choice to me.
It was the third consecutive year that I worked as a freelance sports reporter for The Rafu Shimpo , a Japanese-English bilingual newspaper in Los Angeles, during spring training.
One of the most intriguing stories of the Cactus League that March was the participation of Orix BlueWave superstar Ichiro Suzuki as a guest player for the Seattle Mariners. During spring training, he worked out with the team and participated in a pair of games.
Ichiro's all-around skills were apparent to everyone. Authoritative voices spoke about the Japanese superstar's talent to anyone holding a notebook, a tape recorder, a microphone, or a camera.
Mariners manager Lou Piniella was one of the widely quoted sources at Seattle's spring training complex in Peoria, Arizona. And, of course, at other nearby ballparks during Ichiro's time with the M's.
Recently, looking back at my published report on Ichiro from more than 25 years ago, I was reminded that Piniella knew what he was talking about.
The longtime MLB skipper was absolutely correct. Ichiro, then 25, had all the skills needed to be a successful big-league player.
"He's impressed us, he's got excellent baseball skills," Mariners manager Lou Piniella told reporters in March 1999.
The manager added, "He's a good hitter, an excellent hitter, actually. [And] he's a very adroit outfielder. He's got a good throwing arm [and] good fielding mechanics."
Piniella then said, "He can run and steal a base. So he's got all the tools." Ichiro Suzuki won his first Gold Glove in 2001. (ⒸSANKEI)
Acknowledging that it usually takes time for a player born outside the United States to adjust to living and working there, Piniella believed Ichiro would handle it fine.
"It takes the Puerto Rican kids time to adjust here," Piniella said at spring training. "[And] it takes the Venezuelan kids time to adjust here. So, I'm sure that he would adjust."
Ichiro played two more seasons for Orix before he signed a contract to join the Mariners in 2001. He had a remarkable first season with Seattle, winning the American League Rookie of the Year award and the AL MVP award.
In doing so, he won the AL batting title (.350) and led the league in hits (242) and stolen bases (56). He thrived as the leadoff hitter for the AL West champion Mariners (116-46).
And it was just the start of the North American phase of Ichiro's Hall of Fame career on two continents. He became a 10-time MLB All-Star, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, and a two-time batting champ. Ichiro Suzuki speaks at a news conference in Seattle on January 21, 2025. (KYODO)
In January 2025, Ichiro was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. It was nearly unanimous. A total of 99.746% of Baseball Writers' Association of America ballots (all but one of the 394 that were cast) selected Ichiro for induction this year. Also in January, Ichiro was selected for induction into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
This is his first year of eligibility for both halls of fame.
He retired in 2019 with 3,089 hits in the majors, and his combined total of 4,367 hits in MLB and NPB is the all-time record. Ichiro's overall excellence in Japan, his work ethic, and his deep love and respect for the game are admirable traits.
A celebration of Ichiro's unbelievable career will be one of the star attractions of the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday, July 27 in upstate New York. Ichiro's speech at the marquee event will be an unforgettable occasion for him and for the global baseball community. Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a home run in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Dodger Stadium on July 23. (Kiyoshi Mio/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS)
Shohei Ohtani has homered in five straight games for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Another reminder of his superstar status.
The fan favorite's latest homer was his National League-leading 37th of the 2025 MLB season, helping the Dodgers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Wednesday, July 23. Ohtani clubbed a solo shot to center field in the first inning.
He became the seventh player in Dodgers history to hit a homer in five consecutive games. The others: Roy Campanella, Shawn Green, Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Joc Pederson and current teammate Max Muncy. A familiar sight: Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after smashing a home run. (Kiyoshi Mio/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS)
A reporter pointed out to Ohtani that his recent homers have been flying toward center field or left field.
"Hmm, that's true," Ohtani said, according to NHK on Wednesday. "I don't think the direction of the ball matters much, or rather, if it goes up at a good angle, it doesn't really matter whether you pull it or let it go [in another direction]."
Ohtani continued: "I'm going to try not to worry about it too much and just focus on swinging strongly at the ball I want to hit."
On Tuesday, Ohtani set a record for Japanese MLB players by belting a homer in his fourth consecutive game. The reigning NL MVP hit a two-run blast in the ninth inning of a 10-7 home loss to the Twins.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .