Ichiro Suzuki was a near-unanimous selection for the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday night.
That was no surprise. What was a surprise -- at least to Ichiro himself -- was when a fellow Mariners legend and inner-circle Hall of Famer interrupted Ichiro’s interview on MLB Network to congratulate the first Japanese-born player to enter the Hall.
You know him as Ken Griffey Jr., and you can see the shock on Ichiro’s face when “The Kid” pops onto the screen. After Griffey expressed some kind words toward his former teammate, Ichiro offered up a short response in perfect English:
“George, thank you very much.”
We’re not sure when someone last called Griffey Jr. by his given first name on live television, but Ichiro sure picked a great time to do it. His full name is George Kenneth Griffey Jr., in case you weren't aware.
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Griffey, who fell three votes shy of being voted into the Hall of Fame unanimously in 2016, also told Ichiro to bring more than just his speech to the 2025 induction ceremony on July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“You’re bringing the sake because that’s what the rookies have to do,” Griffey said. “You’re now a rookie for the first time in 25 years, so I expect a nice bottle of sake for the both of us.”