Ichiro Suzuki - Future Hall of Fame Player.
SEATTLE — A humbling night for Ichiro Suzuki took a sudden and devastating turn for the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera with two outs in the ninth inning at Safeco Field on Friday.
After two called strikeouts in the ninth, Rivera allowed a double to the right-center-field gap by the pinch-hitter Mike Sweeney. That brought up Suzuki, the major league hits leader, who had singled three times off A. J. Burnett but was twice picked off first base.
Rivera said he wanted his first pitch to be “inside, but deep inside,” off the plate. It did not cut deep enough, and Suzuki lifted it over the fence in right field for a 3-2 Seattle Mariners victory. It was the first game-ending homer for Suzuki since he played for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan.
“Mike Sweeney created an opportunity for us, and I just went with the flow he created,” Suzuki said through an interpreter. “It was an at-bat where I went with my emotions.”