(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
For years, MLB fans were able to enjoy one of the best contact hitters in history in action.
Ichiro Suzuki came over the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 2001 and immediately won the AL MVP, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, AL Rookie of the Year, and the batting and stolen base crowns.
He went on to have a long, fruitful career that ended in 2019 with 3,089 hits and 509 stolen bases.
Oh, and he also had 1,278 hits in the NPB before reaching MLB.
People always said, even Ichiro himself, that he would have hit many more home runs if he didn’t focus on making contact.
Indeed, he retired with a .311 batting average in MLB and 117 home runs.
The man had some really good raw power, but prioritized bat-to-ball skills and his numbers showed it.
Even at 50 years old, Ichiro keeps showing that he has the power to drive the ball with authority.
A video posted by theScore (via Codify Baseball) shows Ichiro putting on his best power swing and letting the ball fly.
He even broke a window in the process, and his reaction was hilarious.
50-year-old Ichiro showing off the power and breaking some windows.
(: @CodifyBaseball) pic.twitter.com/jNdnDkIj7I
— theScore (@theScore) November 7, 2023
The context, league, and exact location of the video are not entirely precise, but we do know it’s a recent clip.
The man hasn’t lost his swing.
For years, Ichiro took care of his body and mind and made sure to stay in top shape.
You can tell that’s still the case: he still looks like an athlete, with the same build he had over his long career.
Perhaps if Ichiro sacrificed a bit of his contact for power, he would have cleared 200 home runs in MLB, but with an average closer to .280.
He wouldn’t have been as special as he is, or was, with the way he chose to approach the game, though, so he surely has no regrets.
The post Video Shows Ichiro Putting On A Must-See Performance appeared first on The Cold Wire.