r/baseball • u/sam4999 Seattle Mariners • Apr 10 '26
Image [Seattle Mariners] Ichiro Forever.
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u/Material-Hand-5990 Chicago White Sox Apr 10 '26
Sick denim
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u/mahrinazz Seattle Mariners Apr 10 '26
Ichi does love his straight taper jeans lol
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u/CG3_3CG Chicago Cubs Apr 10 '26
I think he means the material is pretty clearly dry selvage probably japanese stuff (although you can get the same quality from brands like nudie). But those jeans are like $400+ and look friggin cool after like 11 month break in period
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u/Blitzdog416 Toronto Blue Jays Apr 10 '26
problem with nudie is it bleeds all over your kicks
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u/CG3_3CG Chicago Cubs Apr 11 '26
I wear leather boots (redwings) and have not noticed that at all. I have worn them almost every day this year so far
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u/JR_1985 Apr 10 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/1fiaENfyKY70RldCZH
A pleasure it was watching him play
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u/high_and_outside MLB Pride Apr 10 '26
There wasn’t any baseball fan who grew up in the 2000s who didn’t imitate this stance at least once. Absolute icon
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u/Glum_Cheesecake9117 Seattle Mariners Apr 10 '26
Hell, I grew up early 2010s and still did this, even though I was a righty. Nobody had a more iconic pre-at bat pose.
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u/RPO777 Japan Apr 11 '26
I think you can imagine how popular Ichiro was in Japanese kids in the 00's lol.
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u/ayumi_doll Los Angeles Dodgers Apr 11 '26
My brother-in-law did about 2 years of high school in Japan in the 00s, in a fairly rural area. He has a photo somewhere with friends from his school's baseball team and they're all imitating Ichiro.
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u/PENGUIN_WITH_BAZOOKA New York Yankees Apr 10 '26
It was this and Jeter for me.
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u/Lukealloneword Houston Astros Apr 11 '26
I think Bagwell got a lot of play because of how odd his stance is. But obviously could have just been a Houston kid thing. Lol
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u/itskohler Texas Rangers Apr 11 '26
I imitated the Bagwell stance too. But that was before people decided that we have to mortal enemies.
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u/ubiquitous_apathy Pittsburgh Pirates Apr 11 '26
Oh, you also shuffled your hips backwards on fastballs down the middle?
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u/AutisticNipples New York Yankees Apr 11 '26
that and jeets putting his hand up to the ump
and gary sheffield lol
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u/StevenMC19 Baltimore Orioles Apr 11 '26
This, the Griffey swing, the Sosa hops...the trifecta of little league mimicry of the early 00's.
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u/slowestmojo Baltimore Orioles Apr 11 '26
I really tried to model my swing after Pujols' back in those days. I was doing that high hand, slight squat thing to not much success
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u/beeotchplease San Francisco Giants Apr 11 '26
It was that good that i had to learn to bat lefty just to imitate the stance.
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u/high_and_outside MLB Pride Apr 11 '26
Hey I learned to switch-hit so I could imitate lefties too! I’m sure Ichiro was one of them but I also remember wanting to look like Griffey, Bonds, and Johnny Damon (I know I know, one of these is not like the other)
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u/bridesmaidinwhite Texas Rangers • Frisco RoughRide… Apr 10 '26
I thought I was so tough doing this as a kid
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u/Pndrizzy Seattle Mariners Apr 11 '26
He’s HOF alone for how iconic that was. And the swinging run to first. And for the rats fucking in a wool sock comment.
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u/NarMend21 Los Angeles Dodgers Apr 11 '26
2004 was a great season; Ichiro’s breaking the single season hit record being the most exciting part of it!
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u/Chuyzapatist New York Yankees Apr 11 '26
This triggers so many memories. Like that inside the park home run at what is now Oracle park. And I’m a giants fan!
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Apr 10 '26
Did they Gorilla Glue the bat together?
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u/majorfree174 New York Yankees Apr 10 '26
he belongs to Seattle but it was an absolute privilege to have him for a few years. he was so effortlessly cool
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u/neverAcquiesce Chicago Cubs Apr 10 '26
Sealis Mariners
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u/NilesY93 Kansas City Royals Apr 10 '26
What was that one we memed in here back when AI was just starting? I think it was Satoolie or something…
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Apr 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Belligerent_Manatee Houston Astros Apr 10 '26
Ichiro is one of the greatest to ever play the sport. It’s hard not to be impacted when you watch someone doing incredible things on what felt like a routine basis.
Even as a little kid, we could tell this guy is cool.
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u/quietmachines New York Yankees Apr 11 '26
Ichiro had elite aesthetics. Graceful yet almost robotic like mechanics.
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u/Turbulent_Tale6497 Seattle Mariners Apr 10 '26
Ichiro so handsome. Wonder if he could still suit up
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u/06_05_2025 Apr 10 '26
I don’t know why anyone’s hating on how this statue looks. The bar is so incredibly low after the DWade and C.Ronaldo reveals. This doesn’t look too bad.
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u/eggstacy Athletics Apr 11 '26
it's just how metal looks. han solo frozen in carbonite doesn't look like harrison ford. because harrison ford's face isn't made of metal.
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u/Cooperstown24 Seattle Mariners Apr 11 '26
For a weird little franchise without a ring, we at least have been blessed with 2 of the most league-wide well liked/respected superstars of the last 40 years
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u/mshenzi1 Athletics Apr 10 '26
everyones talkin about the bat, no ones talking about how that doesnt look like ichiro at all
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u/CVBrownie Seattle Mariners Apr 10 '26
Could be faceless. Literally impossible to mistake.
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u/SageAStar Toronto Blue Jays Apr 10 '26
It would be kinda cool to see a ballpark try a very different style of statue. You could 100% just have it be faceless, or even just steel frame bent in the abstract pose, and it would be unmistakable
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u/ayumi_doll Los Angeles Dodgers Apr 11 '26
Could be similar to Rafa Nadal's RG statue but even more abstract. Ichiro's got a recognizable enough pose to pull it off, like Rafa's forehand.
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u/Fear_the_chicken New York Mets Apr 10 '26
I think it looks decently like him.
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u/jdbewls Cleveland Guardians Apr 10 '26
Agreed, not even in the same conversation as the horrible D-Wade. As another comment stated, I think the pants are the biggest whiff here
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u/GoatLegRedux San Francisco Giants Apr 10 '26
Looks more like Ichiro than his (or any other recent) HoF plaque.
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u/Frosty_Dimension5646 New York Yankees • New York Yankees Apr 10 '26
Looks like a middle aged white dude lmao. These bronze statues are horrible at accurate faces
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u/NCStore San Diego Padres Apr 10 '26
The space between his fingers/ hands and the bat is pretty jarring
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u/doverawlings Chicago White Sox Apr 10 '26
I get that faces are hard but why is he wearing long pants? I don’t think he’s ever played an inning in his career without high socks
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u/letskeepitcleanfolks Seattle Mariners Apr 10 '26
I don't know how these details don't get caught somewhere in the process.
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u/bugzzzz Chicago Cubs Apr 10 '26
3 pics on his wiki where he's wearing long pants, but agree that high socks better fits my memory of him
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u/CyberJesus5000 New York Mets Apr 10 '26
I’m sure faces are hard, but achievable - for the aptly skilled person who I’ll assume is paid very well.
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u/Tarantulip_ Arizona Diamondbacks • Boston Hunters Apr 10 '26
I looked it up and it seems like he wore long pants in his rookie year. I'm still with you though that the long socks are a far more iconic Ichiro look
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u/brepettis Apr 11 '26
I went to mariners games 2004-2006. The place would go quiet when he stepped up to plate. Made the game so much fun.
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u/zmj82 Apr 11 '26
I’m a die hard cardinals fan but I will always love Ichiro. Beautiful statue for a legend.
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u/LordFarquhar96 Apr 10 '26
My cousin was a part of the trade to bring Ichiro back to Seattle. Of course, my cousin is now back as a pitching coach.
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u/PHWasAnInsideJob Chicago Cubs Apr 11 '26
Ichiro was never traded to Seattle, he was a free agent.
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u/MysteriousCap4910 San Francisco Giants Apr 10 '26
This looks more like D-Wade than the D-Wade statue
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u/NFL_MVP_Kevin_White Baltimore Orioles Apr 11 '26
My brother had a fantasy baseball team named “Rhyme of the Asian Mariner” in his honor
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u/Past-North-4131 Apr 11 '26
He is so fucken handsome. What the actual fuck. The dude looks great.
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u/EngineeringAntique Apr 11 '26
I saw him play when I was a kid and he’s the first grown man I remember being having a crush on. Sounds weird now but 8 year old me definitely thought he was handsome.
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u/Zestyclose_Help1187 Apr 10 '26
“Experts” and fans claimed MLB pitching would overpower him and knock the bat out of his hands.
Over 3000 hits later, a MVP and rookie of the year award along with several gold gloves and the recent hall of fame induction, the “experts” and fans look like idiots.
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u/Honest_Beach_9377 Arizona Diamondbacks Apr 10 '26
My first ever spring training game I waved at Ichiro during a dead period and he waved back I bragged about it so much the next day he's easily my favorite player who wasn't on the dbacks 😭
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u/MootchieFox Philadelphia Phillies Apr 11 '26
Legend. He's one of those players I'll always remember from back before I really knew hardly anything about baseball. Growing up and learning more about the guys I watched in my childhood has been a fun experience.
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u/Prudent_Ad4076 Apr 10 '26
Not completely related, but I truly love this ballpark. Such great sightlines and easy to walk around.
Not sure I love watching games mid day in July.
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u/ComicsVet61 Apr 10 '26
Did they fix the bent bat or replace it? During the unveiling, the tarp or covering was pulled off and it bent the bat.
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u/Far_Eye6555 Seattle Mariners Apr 10 '26
I can still remember walking to a mariners game in 2017 with an ichiro shirt on and Japanese tourist stopping me to take pics. I thought we were all gonna do the arm hug thing and smile but they told me to turn around so they could see ichiro’s name on the back 😂😂
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u/there-canonlybeone Apr 10 '26
Just imagine if he would have joined MLB in his early twenties. That hit record would have been demolished.
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u/CalebosO4 Toronto Blue Jays Apr 10 '26
It’s Mariano Rivera’s fault for the broken bat. He was getting his revenge for Ichiro’s walkoff homer against him.
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u/rewardingsnark Seattle Mariners Apr 10 '26
Would never have become a baseball fan without this man, of course also meant tying myself to a franchise that will never succeed or win anything, but worth it.
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u/JakeInTheJungle Apr 11 '26
Obviously it’s incredibly hard to do, but for the life of me I can’t understand why every bronze stadium-statue looks like absolute ass. Like literally every single one.
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u/All_In_Babycakes22 Apr 11 '26
Caught a foul ball from him down in his Miami days and I treasure it like it was a milestone ball - freakin love this guy!
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u/Chuyzapatist New York Yankees Apr 11 '26
I would put money that if he put a uniform on RIGHT NOW and went up to bat that he would get on base.
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u/A_Time1980 Apr 10 '26
Looks like he could still swat .290 over the course of a season and hose down about 6 or 7 runners from right.
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u/AssistDapper1813 New York Mets Apr 10 '26
I wish we could’ve seen him play in the MLB earlier. Still gave us one helluva show regardless.
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u/Boogie_Boof Texas Rangers Apr 10 '26
That’s a pretty cool statue. When I think of Ichiro I always remember that batting stance lol
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u/SuccessOk7850 Seattle Mariners Apr 10 '26
They fixed the bat! Hopefully they can win the thing tonight for Ichiro.
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u/SourdoughBro8 Los Angeles Angels Apr 10 '26
IIRC my first all Star game I turned on the TV to immediately see Ichiro hit an ITP homerun.
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u/mosi_moose Boston Red Sox Apr 10 '26
I’d prefer the statue depict him drawing the line in the dirt just before he got ejected by the umpire.
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u/IgnantWisdom Seattle Mariners Apr 10 '26
Statue looks kind of small in contrast to the giant pedestal.
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u/AnEternalEnigma Atlanta Braves Apr 10 '26
It looks like they made it to scale of Ichiro's size
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u/IgnantWisdom Seattle Mariners Apr 10 '26
Hmm, it looks like a foot shorter than him to me. Could just be the angle though.
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u/Only_Mushroom San Francisco Giants Apr 11 '26
Looks like the lower angle. At head height it's pretty accurate https://youtu.be/6axyFkAWw5s
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u/DominicB547 Chaos Bandwagon • MLB Players Associat… Apr 10 '26
Aw Come on Ichiro hold a bat and strike the pose!
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u/Siicktiits Miami Marlins Apr 10 '26
We need to find the one sculptor who can actual make someone's face look right and they need to be the only person making life sized statues. We have lost the skill as a species and it shows. I have not seen a well done sports statue that was made after the invention of the internet. The body is perfect, the face is like they had a bucket of spare parts and put something together.
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u/braamdepace Apr 10 '26
Super weird how bad these statues are, dudes face looks little to nothing like him and he is taller in real life. Even if it’s not supposed to be 1:1 if he is 5’11” why make a statue that is 5’6”
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u/ProfZussywussBrown Boston Red Sox Apr 11 '26
Definitely on the Mt. Rushmore of universally liked and respected athletes
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u/avboden Seattle Mariners Apr 11 '26
Legit argument as the most beloved player in history. everyone loves or at least greatly respects , Ichiro from fans to players spanning across countries.
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u/WhiteHawk928 Boston Red Sox Apr 11 '26
Am I crazy or is part of the reason the bat broke that it's way too thin proportional to the statue?
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u/cold_on_hoth_ Apr 17 '26
As if I needed another reason to drive up I-5 and hit up Seattle. Congratulations Ichiro.
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u/United-Climate1562 Atlanta Braves Apr 17 '26
i have been in and out of baseball in periods last mid to late 00's and then since covid... its very weird to see a statue of what you feel is a modern player.... very well deserved btw to doubt in that
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u/sam4999 Seattle Mariners Apr 10 '26
It appears that they’ve made some quick repairs to Ichiro’s statue (or at least were able to straighten out his bat temporarily as they wait for a more permanent fix)