With Mark Buehrle somehow failing to pitch two innings, there was no competition for the Coolest Thing That Happened Yesterday; it was Ichiro Suzuki pitching for the Marlins:
That was Friend of JABO Rich Waltz with the call, by the way.
As Fenway Park organist (etc.) Josh Kantor pointed out, The Baseball Project's Scott McCaughey – yes, another friend of JABO, or at least the JABO Podcast – predicted this one years ago. A few lyrics from the Project's "Ichiro Goes to the Moon" ...
At age 40 he’ll turn to pitching
With a fastball that hits 95
A knuckler that defies gravity
A curve with a 12-to-6 dive.
Don’t put him on a pedestal,
Just treat him with respect.
He seeks but his own approval,
And earns all that he gets.
He earns all that he gets.
Here’s the whole thing, performed live at spring training a few years ago:
Ichiro's nearly 42 rather than 40, his fastball was sitting at 87 rather than 95, and apparently he's still working on that big curveball.
What, you never heard of poetic license?
