NEW YORK: Ichiro Suzuki signed a two-year contract with the New York Yankees yesterday, giving the Japanese outfielder a chance to crack 3,000 career Major League Baseball hits while wearing Yankee pinstripes.
The deal, worth a reported $13m, allows the Yankees to keep a 39-year-old standout who has been a 10-time All-Star in 12 seasons since coming from Japan. He was obtained by the Yankees from the Seattle Mariners last July.
“The Yankees are the kind of team that I always envisioned being a part of,” Suzuki said. “Everyone in the world of competition has a strong desire to win, but the Yankees also have an atmosphere where losing is not an option.
“These two observations may sound similar, but I believe it is a rarity to find both coexisting in the same organization.
“I believe the Yankees organization appreciates that there is a difference between a 39-year-old who has played relying only on talent, and a 39-year-old who has prepared, practiced, and thought thoroughly through many experiences for their craft.
“I am very thankful and I will do my best to deliver on their expectations,” he said.
REUTERS
