Ichiro explains why you'll never see him slam a bat in frustration
Ichiro Suzuki is six hits away from the magical 3,000-hit milestone for his major-league career.
The Miami Marlins' outfielder is having a remarkable season, batting .343 in a part-time role at age 42. Throughout his 16 season in the majors, we've seen the future Hall of Famer do just about everything on the diamond -- except take out his frustration on his bats.
"Why wouldn't you take care of your bats?" Ichiro asked during an interview with The Miami Herald. "This is a tool that we get paid to make a living with. When you think about the people who made this bat for us, how rude would it be to those people who made this bat and all the work they put in to making it? If you're throwing it, they're not going to feel good, and they're not going to make you a great bat the next time."
It turns out that Ichiro is meticulous about his lumber. More from the Miami Herald:
As odd as it sounds, it obviously has paid off for Ichiro during a career that has yielded 4,272 hits between the majors and Japan.
