Ichiro Suzuki wants to pitch for New York Yankees
Ichiro Suzuki pitched for the Orix Blue Wave in an All-Star Game when he was dominating in Japan prior to coming to the Major Leagues and the New York Yankees outfielder wants to get another shot to toe the rubber, according to David Waldstein of the New York Times.
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Yankees manager Joe Girardi seems open to the idea to give the future Hall of Famer a shot to get back on the mound before his storied career comes to an end, perhaps at the end of this year.
Ichiro has possessed one of the strongest arms since he made his debut with the Seattle Mariners and this footage from his time on the mound in 1996 coudl help convince Girardi to put him in the bullpen in the event of a blowout.
“I’ll definitely ask him if he can do it,” Girardi said. “It looks like he has pretty good stuff.”
Ichiro says he could throw as many as 50 pitches which could be enough to get him through as many as three innings because of the shoulder exercises and long toss he does throughout the season. However, don’t expect Ichiro to throw any complete games should Girardi grant his wish and let him get back on the mound and unleash some pitcher from 60 feet, six inches.
“If they need 100 pitches, I would have to get stretched out,” he said through his interpreter, Alan Turner.
Just like linemen scoring touchdowns in football, position players pitching is such a joy to watch. I hope we get to see this at some point this year.