They streamed onto the field frantically, unable to contain their joy. Japan claimed the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Shohei Ohtani had struck out his longtime teammate — and fellow superstar — Mike Trout. Baseball was back in the global consciousness.
Yet, even in the chaos of Samurai Japan's celebrations, Hideki Kuriyama's squad had enough time to brandish the jersey of one of its fallen teammates.
The No. 51 shirt rippled in the humid Miami wind, seemingly an homage to Japanese baseball icon Ichiro.
Or, was it?
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On closer inspection, the No. 51 Suzuki jersey was no Ichiro tribute. Rather, it was a nod to injured teammate Seiya Suzuki, the Cubs outfielder who had to pull out of the WBC with an oblique injury.
Love Team Japan showing love to Seiya Suzuki 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/W2WJPxQwV4
— Cubs Zone ™️ (@CubsZone) March 22, 2023
Suzuki, like many Japanese players raised in the post-Ichiro boom of NPB, adored the Mariners superstar. As such, he dons Ichiro's No. 51, pairing it with their matching last names.
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However, as any M's fan would point out, Ichiro paired his No. 51 with his first name. Suzuki, meanwhile, prefers to use his last name, a more commonly-accepted practice (e.g., Shohei Ohtani, Hideki Matsui, etc.).
Suzuki was slated to join Ohtani, Lars Nootbaar, Masataka Yoshida and Yu Darvish as MLB's representatives on the loaded Japanese roster. His absence — along with that of Hiroshima Toyo Carp pitcher Ryoji Kuribiyashi — didn't make much difference to the final result. However, they were more than missed in the dugout, so much so that Samurai Japan hung their jerseys on the dugout walls throughout the tourney.
Samurai Japan hung Seiya Suzuki and Ryoji Kuribayashi jerseys in their dugout in honor of their injured teammates.
— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) March 17, 2023
Coincidently, both Hiroshima Carp. pic.twitter.com/UtKt7R1brt
Suzuki, who hit 14 home runs and posted a .770 OPS in 111 games, is unlikely to be ready for Chicago's opening day. Manager David Ross told reporters that the organization is taking things slow when it comes to Suzuki's recovery.
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"It is a minor strain," Ross said in February. "And I think it's one of those things we'll kind of put the plan in place, react to how he's feeling, let him build back up, and the goal is to get him back when he's fully healthy and can really contribute and help us. These oblique things are pretty tricky so we'll make sure we're listening to his body."
A classy gesture by Suzuki's countrymen, even if some confused it for a tribute to someone else.
