Ichiro’s sidetrip to George Sisler’s grave in St. Louis
The Seattle Times had a nice report on Ichiro spending part of his All-Star trip to St. Louis to visit the grave of Hall of Famer George Sisler, whose season hits record he broke in 2004. Ichiro had long wanted to pay his respects to Sisler, and brought flowers to leave at the gravesite.
Ichiro had briefly greeted the members of the Sisler family that were at Safeco Field the night he got his 257th and 258th hits to tie and break Sisler’s 1920 record for the St. Louis Browns. Sisler died on March 26, 1973, in Richmond Heights.
“There’s not many chances to come to St. Louis,” Ichiro said in the American League clubhouse, speaking through interpreter Ken Barron. “In 2004, it was the first time I crossed paths with him, and his family generously came all the way to Seattle.
“Above all, it was a chance … I wanted to do that for a grand upperclassman of the baseball world. I think it’s only natural for someone to want to do that, to express my feelings in that way. I’m not sure if he’s happy about it.”
Ichiro said his wife, Yumiko, went with him, as well as some friends.
Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu was moved by the gesture.
“I got to see the pictures with Ichiro at Sisler’s grave, and it gave me some chills,” he said. “I think it’s important that people understand that there’s a different side to him, and to be able to go back and respect a man whose record he broke was awfully special.”
(13 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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That’s a great story, I’ve always liked Ichiro, I like him even more now. Not many of today’s players have much of an appreciation for those who have gone before them. I’d be willing to bet more than half of the guys at the All-Star game couldn’t tell you who George Sisler was.
That’s class on Ichiro’s part! It’s ironic that a guy from Japan shows more respect for American baseball history than a lot of native-born players do. Sisler is one of the game’s all-time greats, but because he played for the Browns, and not the Cards, he does not get the recognition he deserves even here in St. Louis.
I used to covet Ichiro for the Cardinals before he signed his big contract to stay in Seattle. Imagine him being on base constantly ahead of Albert. He might be my second favorite MLer right now after AP. He’ll keep Sisler company some day.
Awesome story. Ichiro is a true star.
I find it amazing that this is the type of player this guy has always been known as, ie, plays hard, fundamentally sound, and knows the history of the game, yet his teammates always have issues with him! Why is that? I think it is because they see him playing as hard as he can just like children do when they play the game, but yet they feel they do not have to play like that anymore and he is showing them up. Great story about a great player!
Ichiro was the first Japanese player that I ever acknowledged as being truly worthy of playing in the Majors. He showed a lot of respect and class with this gesture.
My dad was a big Browns fan. He saw all the greats like Ruth and Gehrig on a regular basis.
He said that George Sisler was the greatest hitter he ever saw.
Classy, selfless act Ichiro. Well done.
I have always like that Ichiro…..i would absolutely love to see him with a Cards uniform on, but Seattle will never let him get away. Class act all the way. Great story!
I got a chance to see Ichiro play in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. He beat out a routine-out infield grounder and layed down a perfect bunt for an infield hit without ever showing bunt. Great story!
It is a classy move, but there are some things that are best done privately, without a story in a Seattle newspaper. Call my cynical - I just hope this wasn’t orchestrated by a publicist to present his/her client in a more positive light.