A fan votes Major-League All-Stars at a convenience store. (Jiji) MAD ABOUT THE MAJOR LEAGUES: Ichiro Brings American Baseball into Japanese Homes August 20, 2001 Major League Baseball fever has struck Japan this year, and the exploits of Japanese baseball players active in the United States are reported in detail on the nightly news and covered extensively throughout the media. This sudden popularity of Major League Baseball is due in large part to outfielder Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro Tops All-Star Voting The news made the front page of the July 3 evening editions of every major newspaper in Japan: Ichiro--who is known by his first name just like he was during his career in Japan--had collected the most votes from fans in the balloting to choose players for the All-Star Game, the first time this feat had been accomplished by a rookie. The first Japanese position player (non pitcher) to play in the Major Leagues had collected 3.3 million votes. This year for the first time fans in Japan were able to vote for their All-Star nominees. Ichiro was comfortably the number-one pick within the United States, however, so he would have made the team even without the votes from his homeland. Ichiro is the second Japanese player to be chosen for the All-Star Game (Pitcher Hideo Nomo appeared in 1995) and the first to be selected by fans (Only position players appear on fan ballots). Consequently, the excitement this time has surpassed even that which surrounded Nomo six years ago and has further fanned the flames of the Ichiro phenomenon. Because Ichiro is an outfielder and not a pitcher, he appears in nearly every game. Before the start of the season, there were some questions as to how he would hold up physically under the strain of a 162-game season (compared to the 140-game season in Japan) that requires repeated travel across North America to play games almost every day. But early in the season Ichiro dispelled any doubts by hitting safely in 23 consecutive games, a new record for a Mariners rookie. Ichiro has hit consistently since the first game of the season, and as of June 21, his batting average was .356, best in the American League, raising hopes that he may become the first Japanese player to win a batting title in the Majors. Although his average fell to .337 in mid July, third in the American League, the batting title is still up for grabs. Ichiro also leads the Major Leagues in hits and stolen bases, marking him unmistakably as a rising star in the Major Leagues. A Nation Riveted Almost all of the Mariners' games are shown live in Japan on BS1, a broadcast satellite channel operated by public broadcaster NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.). Due to the time difference, most of the games are broadcast in the morning, and fans often greet each other later in the day by asking, "How did Ichiro do today?" Despite being broadcast in the morning on satellite, ratings for the games are between three and six times higher than normal programs in this time slot. Hardly a day goes by that Ichiro fails to make headlines, not just in the sports papers but in general newspapers as well. And when Ichiro is covered by the American media, those reports always seem to find their way to Japan, too. The heroics of Japanese major leaguers even seem to be influencing Japanese children: In a recent survey, "baseball player" confirmed its status as the top pick among boys asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, extending its lead over "soccer player," in second place.   Your Name What did you think of this article? It was interesting. It was boring. Send this article to a friend Although he is the best known, Ichiro is not the only Japanese player in the Major Leagues currently attracting attention. His teammate on the Mariners, relief pitcher Kazuhiro Sasaki, led the American League with 30 saves as of the middle of July. Hideo Nomo, currently a starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, has pitched two no-hitters during his six and a half seasons in the Majors. And Tsuyoshi Shinjo has been reevaluated in Japan following his performance as an outfielder with the New York Mets. Shinjo, who entered the Major Leagues at the same time as Ichiro, has been drawing the attention of the New York media with both his unique play and his unusual comments. Their reports on Shinjo are soon made known in Japan. Shinjo suffered a left quadracept strain while running to first base in a game in mid-June and was placed on the disabled list, but returned to the plate on July 16. Although he went hitless in his first game back, he was soon back on form, striking the game-winning hit in one game and registering four hits in another. Appearing along with Ichiro at the 2001 All-Star Game in Seattle on July 10 was his teammate and friend Sasaki. Because pitchers are not chosen by fan ballots, Sasaki was selected by New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, who led the American League team. This marked the first time in history that two Japanese players had appeared on this field of dreams at the same time. Ichiro hit a lead-off single in his first at-bat and followed that by stealing second base, while Sasaki closed out the game for a save as the American League triumphed 4-1. The game, of course, was broadcast live in Japan, and images of the two Mariners' exploits were replayed over and over on TV news programs that night. Copyright (c) 2001 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.