Ichiro Suzuki got a good look at the newest sensation from Japan.
The Seattle star and franchise cornerstone watched, smiled and reminisced as Kosuke Fukudome made a running catch on the warning track in right field. Fukudome then wheeled and almost doubled the unsuspecting Brad Wilkerson off first base with a strong throw in the second inning of the Cubs’ 6-5 victory Monday.
“I thought the umpire should have called him out on the difficulty of the play alone,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said, chuckling.
Fukudome also kept Seattle’s Mark Kiger from getting to third base on a shallow fly ball he caught in the third, firing another long strike.
Before the game, Suzuki greeted his countryman on the field. Fukudome played with Suzuki last spring for Japan in the inaugural World Baseball Classic.
As the two exchanged greetings, Suzuki couldn’t help but notice the throng of nearly two dozen Japanese media members and photographers an arm’s distance away. “I had the same feelings I had when I was a rookie,” said Suzuki, who seven years ago went from Spring Training curiosity to AL MVP. “Except there were way more cameras there for me.”
Fukudome’s defense, however, is ahead of his hitting. His 0-for-2 day left him with one hit in seven at-bats this spring.
Cubs
HITS
– Lou Piniella said he wasn’t dropping any hints about a contract extension Monday, but admitted he’d be open to discussing one. It was a change of course for the Cubs manager, who said after being hired in 2006 that this contract would be his last one, and he’d be done with managing after 2009.
– Alfonso Soriano’s return from a broken finger will take longer than originally announced. He now is expected to miss at least one week, perhaps two.
