Gausman's meetup with Ichiro a thrill -- just like his 2014 K of eventual Hall of Famer
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SEATTLE -- In the outfield at T-Mobile Park prior to Mariners games, even in the postseason, you can find Ichiro Suzuki shagging fly balls in full uniform, high socks and all.
Prior to Game 3 of the ALCS on Wednesday, Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman saw his opportunity to meet the legend. There was a fantastic photo taken of Gausman in that moment, his head bowed to Ichiro, long hair spilling down over his face.
"That was a pretty cool moment for me, honestly," said Gausman. "I was lucky enough that when I came into the big leagues, there were a lot of what I would consider GOATs like Ichiro, A-Rod, Jeter. They were all in the American League. As a young pitcher, it was really fun to face those guys. I got lucky and I struck Ichiro out one time, so he’s in my book and I’ll be able to say that forever.”
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It was over a decade ago that Gausman struck out Ichiro, back on Sept. 25, 2014, when he was still a fresh face with the Orioles, held up as one of their aces of the future.
In his last start of the year, Gausman struck out the then-future Hall of Famer.
Gausman holds such an appreciation for the legends of the game in each city. He’s a student of the game, but like many of the veterans in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse, he’s also a fan of the game. As Gausman spoke about the moment just prior to Game 4 on Thursday, he was still smiling about the moment he shared with Ichiro in the outfield.
“He’s just such a pro’s pro. He’s such a nice guy,” Gausman said. “To do what he’s done not only in Japan, but here in the States, and still be like that? I just walked up to him, shook his hand and bowed to him. He said some nice words to me and I said some nice words to him. I was really hoping to meet Randy [Johnson] last night, too. That was my guy growing up, too. I watched him pitch Game 6 against the Yankees in Arizona. I wanted to be the right-handed version of Randy. I didn’t get to meet him yesterday, but I got to meet Ichiro, and that was just as cool.”
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Gausman still has that strikeout, though. He held Ichiro to an 0-for-6 line back in 2013-14, and Gausman lit up when he was asked about the strikeout. You can see him replaying the pitch in his head.
"It was a splitter,” Gausman said. “It was a good one, too. I still remember it.”