3 days ago
Three decades and a pile of notebooks: The beat writer who chronicled Ichiro's career
For nearly three decades, Keizo Konishi's job revolved around one man: Ichiro Suzuki.
As an Ichiro beat writer, Konishi dedicated most of his adult life to covering the superstar from all angles during nine seasons in NPB followed by 19 seasons in MLB. He followed Ichiro from Kobe to Seattle, New York, Miami and back to Seattle, where Konishi currently resides with his wife.
Having spent that much time writing about Ichiro, Konishi — who chose to stay in Seattle to cover Ichiro's Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York, on Sunday and his post-playing days — admits their relationship has evolved into something more than that of a typical reporter and subject.
'We've spent a lot of time together, but I wouldn't describe him as a friend,' said Konishi, who at 59 is seven years older than Ichiro.
'There's a boundary neither of us will cross. When he was an active player, we had many off-the-record conversations off the field, but we maintained a professional distance at the ballpark. Having history with him didn't give me any advantage. In fact, I felt challenged. He was never an easy subject to deal with.'
Journalist Keizo Konishi now covers players like the Padres' Yu Darvish and the Angels' Yusei Kikuchi, but for most of his career his focus has been on Ichiro. |
Courtesy of Keizo Konishi
Konishi and Ichiro go back a long way.
A former college football player with no experience playing baseball, Konishi was assigned to the Orix BlueWave beat in 1994, when he was working for the Kyodo News wire service and Ichiro was in his third season with the Kobe-based Pacific League team.
He was dispatched to Seattle as a correspondent shortly before Ichiro joined the Seattle Mariners in 2001, and uprooted his life each time Ichiro changed teams, with a furnished apartment in New York and a hotel in Miami among his temporary homes as he followed Ichiro across North America.
'Moving was a hassle,' Konishi said. 'After 11½ years in Seattle, Ichiro was traded to the New York Yankees (midway through the 2012 season). It all happened so fast, and at first I had no idea how long I'd be in New York. My poor wife got dragged along. I was relieved when they re-signed him to a two-year deal because I could plan my life out.'
This was Konishi's job in a nutshell: He followed Ichiro to every practice and game and produced a steady stream of updates for his readers while writing articles without bylines (Japanese journalists typically write anonymously). It required knowledge of the game, constant creativity, tight deadlines, long hours, travel and the ability to forge a good relationship with the player.
Ichiro speaks during an event in Cooperstown, New York, on Saturday, a day ahead of his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. |
Joshua Mellin
For Konishi, a normal year on the beat started in February with spring training. Between March and September he worked nonstop as MLB teams play almost every day and are out of town half the time. The only down time he had with family and friends in Japan was during the offseason, but even then, he made it a habit to go watch Ichiro train in Kobe whenever he could.
Konishi loved everything about his job — except flying (commercial) across time zones without a dedicated travel day.
He guesses that he saw at least 80% of the 4,367 hits Ichiro totaled between MLB and Japan in person. By chance, he was even at Heiwadai Stadium in Fukuoka on July 12, 1992, when a skinny 18-year-old wearing No. 51 recorded his first NPB hit. That was when Ichiro wore his surname across the back of his jersey.
Over the years, Konishi has kept 53 notebooks filled with observations about Ichiro and has published two books about the man. He became the subject of various stories in U.S. outlets himself as well, from ESPN to The Seattle Times and others, as the reporter on the Ichiro beat.
'Covering Ichiro never got old,' said Konishi. 'He always impressed me with mind-blowing answers.'
Notebooks from Konishi's decades spent reporting on Ichiro. 'Covering Ichiro never got old,' Konishi says. |
Courtesy of Keizo Konishi
Whenever friends and acquaintances ask him what Ichiro is like in real life or what it was like to interview him day in and day out, his answer is always the same: 'It's like exploring hidden gems.'
At one point, Konishi was the only Japanese writer allowed to pose questions to Ichiro because the player appointed him as the pool reporter for his cohorts.
Thanks to Konishi's efforts, Kyodo was the first media outlet to break the news about Ichiro's retirement, reporting it during the Mariners' game against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome on March 21, 2019.
Konishi admits the breaking news alert could've gone out sooner, but he asked his boss to wait to hit the send button until the first pitch was thrown — he knew how Ichiro was meticulous about his pregame stretching and warmups, and wanted to give him a chance to go through his familiar routine one last time, without disruption.
Ichiro bats during his final MLB game, at Tokyo Dome on March 21, 2019. Thanks to Konishi's efforts, Kyodo News was the first media outlet to break the news about Ichiro's retirement. |
USA Today / via Reuters
After the game, Ichiro made the news official.
Konishi truly covered Ichiro's story from beginning to end.
He recalls about 150 reporters and photographers trailing Ichiro everywhere when he arrived in Seattle, when the Aichi Prefecture native was the top news story in Japan. He also saw that number shrink as the spotlight dimmed, until there were only five or six Japanese media members shadowing him in Miami during his time with the Miami Marlins from 2015 to 2017.
'He had his glory days with the Mariners, when he earned 10 straight All-Star selections, a feat that not even (Yankees legend) Derek Jeter achieved. In the next nine seasons he was primarily in a backup or reserve role. But no matter what stage of his career he was at, he had the same impeccable work ethic and discipline. I got to witness that up close,' Konishi said.
Konishi, who now works for multiple publications, has moved on to covering San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish and Los Angeles Angels lefty Yusei Kikuchi. But that doesn't mean he's done with Ichiro.
Ichiro serves a front office role with the Mariners but still suits up and practices every day in Seattle, where he returned in 2018 as a 44-year-old.
On the days he's not covering the Japanese pitchers, Konishi goes to T-Mobile Park to chat with Ichiro before games.
As ever, with a notebook in hand.
Ichiro during Mariners spring training in February 2024. The icon continues to work in a front office role for the franchise that gave him his start in MLB in 2001. |
USA Today / via Reuters
