ichiro in right field in 2002.
as little leaguer in toyoyama, ichiro had word concentration (集中, shūchū) written on glove. age 12, had dedicated himself pursuing career in professional baseball, , training sessions no longer leisure, , less enjoyable. elder suzuki claimed, baseball fun both of , ichiro later said, might have been fun him, me lot star of giants, popular japanese manga , anime series young baseball prospect s difficult road success, rigorous training demanded father. according ichiro, bordered on hazing , suffered lot.
when ichiro joined high school baseball team, father told coach, no matter how ichiro is, don t ever praise him. have make him spiritually strong. when ready enter high school, ichiro selected school prestigious baseball program, nagoya s aikodai meiden (ja:愛工大名電) high school. ichiro used pitcher instead of outfielder, owing exceptionally strong arm. cumulative high school batting average .505, 19 home runs. built strength , stamina hurling car tires , hitting wiffle balls heavy shovel, among other regimens. these exercises helped develop wrists , hips, adding power , endurance thin frame. despite outstanding numbers in high school, ichiro not drafted until fourth , final round of professional draft in november 1991, because many teams discouraged small size of 5 ft 9 ⁄2 in (177 cm) , 124 pounds (56 kg). years later, ichiro told interviewer, m not big guy , kids @ me , see m not muscular , not physically imposing, m regular guy. if regular body can record books, kids can @ that. make me happy.
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