SEATTLE MARINERS

Groz Remembers 2001 Mariners: When Ichiro became Ichiro

Jul 28, 2021, 11:54 AM

Mariners Ichiro...

Ichiro Suzuki is one of two players ever to win the MVP award as a rookie. (Getty)

(Getty)

2001: A Baseball Odyssey – a weekly look back at the record-setting 2001 Mariners and the players who got them there.

Jan. 5, 2001 was certainly the red-letter day in the story of the 116-win 2001 Mariners. It was the day they signed Ichiro.

M’s trade Graveman, Montero to Astros | M’s get Anderson from Pirates

Less then month earlier, free agent Alex Rodriguez had surprised the team by signing with division rival Texas. That meant that in barely two years, the M’s had seen Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr. and A-Rod all leave the team, an unprecedented loss of star power. It seemed completely unfair to expect Ichiro to fill the gap.

At spring training in Arizona, Mariners manager Lou Piniella at times seemed perplexed by Ichiro’s approach; the young outfielder just seemed to be content to slap the ball the other way. It famously came to a head when Lou asked Ichiro if he ever turned on a pitch. Ichiro looked back and responded, “Sometimes,” then stepped to the plate and pulled a home run onto the berm. Piniella stopped worrying.

Ichiro was an immediate smash, hitting safely in 16 of his first 17 games. He showed off his arm in his 10th game, as well, with the “Star Wars” throw to nail Oakland’s Terrence Long trying to go first to third on a single, and it just kept getting better and better and better.

July 28 was a fairly typical night for Ichiro, who went 3 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and stole his 35th bag of the season in a 5-1 M’s win over Minnesota, raising his season average to .328 as the M’s improved to 75-29.

As good as it was going in July, Ichiro was just getting warmed up. The August month of his rookie season was one of the great months a Mariners hitter has ever had. He had 51 hits in just 28 games for a .429 average, doing a lot to propel him to American League Rookie of the Year and MVP honors at season’s end, where he joined Boston’s Fred Lynn (1975) as the only players in baseball history to win both awards in the same year.

It all seemed so unlikely that cold January day, but a new era of baseball had begun in Seattle.

Follow The Groz on Twitter.

More 2001 Mariners memories from Groz

The curious case of Al Martin
Freddy García replaces the ace he was traded for
Kaz Sasaki and Seattle’s incredible bullpen
• Seattle hosts an All-Star Game for the ages
• The bounceback year of M’s Hall of Famer Dan Wilson
• Mark McLemore, the all-important 10th man
• Edgar Martinez cements his legacy with his last great season
• Aaron Sele, the pitcher who ‘fell from the sky’
• Bret Boone gave Seattle a huge, surprising boost
• Paul Abbott, the forgotten hero of the historic ’01 M’s
• Introduction: Celebrating the 2001 Mariners, 20 years later

Mariners Roof Report

Brought to you by
Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Sunny
High 56° | Low 40°
No game today.

Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners Mitch Haniger Dylan Moore...

Brandon Gustafson

Mariners Highs and Lows: What stands out from opening day loss

The Seattle Mariners fell to the Red Sox on opening day, and there were some takeaways – good and bad – to be had from the loss.

45 minutes ago

Seattle Mariners Boston Red Sox Tyler O'Neill...

The Associated Press

Mariners drop opener 6-4 as Boston’s O’Neill makes history

Tyler O’Neill homered in his fifth straight opening day game to set a major league record, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4.

1 hour ago

Seattle Mariners Mitch Haniger...

Brandon Gustafson

Welcome Back: Mitch Haniger blasts homer in Mariners return

Mitch Haniger kicked off his return to the Seattle Mariners with a bang, blasting a 2-run home run to right field in his second at-bat.

3 hours ago

Nelson Cruz Seattle Mariners...

Brent Stecker

After throwing out 1st pitch, Nelson Cruz retires as a Mariner

Nelson Cruz threw out the first pitch at Seattle Mariners opening day, then signed a one-day contract to retire with the team.

4 hours ago

Seattle Mariners Julio Rodriguez...

Brandon Gustafson

Mariners Notebook: ‘Consistent pressure’ theme for lineup in 2024

Scott Servais expects big things from the Seattle Mariners' lineup in 2024, as he shared ahead of their opener against the Boston Red Sox.

8 hours ago

Seattle Mariners lineup Julio Rodríguez...

Brent Stecker

See the first Mariners lineup of 2024 for opening day vs Red Sox

The Seattle Mariners' batting order for opening day of the 2024 MLB season against Boston showcases an improved amount of length.

10 hours ago

Groz Remembers 2001 Mariners: When Ichiro became Ichiro