Ichiro Suzuki

In addition to these records, Ichiro also started in the All-Star Game for the fourth consecutive year, and led all leadoff hitters in batting average, on base percentage, and on-base plus slugging. His cousin by adoption is Ling Bouvier. Ichiro set a number of Major League records during the 2004 season:. His former uncles-by-marriage include Robert Underdunk "Sideshow Bob" Terwilliger, Lionel Hutz, Troy McClure, and Disco Stu. Ichiro's career is followed closely in his native Japan, with national television news programs covering each of his at-bats, and with special tour packages arranged for Japanese fans to visit the United States to view his games. Bart is:. Continuing the custom he began in Japan, he uses his given name on the back of his uniform, instead of his surname, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball to do so since Vida Blue. Episodes that feature Bart extensively include:.

His success has opened the door for other Japanese players like Yomiuri Giants slugger Hideki Matsui to enter the Major Leagues. The use of underpants over boxer shorts is commented on by the show's creators on the Series 4 DVD, where he says they were trying to be different as boxer shorts were the least taboo form of underwear on TV as they showed "less of a bulge". Ichiro was also a four-time Gold Glove winner from 2001 through 2004. Bart's underwear style is of white "underpants". Some sportswriters criticized his official "rookie" status, saying that his years of experience in the Japanese "major leagues" gave him an unfair advantage over other rookie players who had little or no prior major league experience. The only other clothing "scenario" that comes up regularly is his "bed outfit", which consists of a green pyjama set (although he has been known to wear white socks on his feet to bed, he more regularly goes barefoot to bed). At season's end, he won the American League Most Valuable Player and the Rookie of the Year awards, becoming only the second player in MLB history (after Fred Lynn) to receive both honors in the same season. His churchgoing outfit consists of a blue two-piece suit (with shorts rather than long pants), white shirt, blue tie and blue shoes (colour of socks, if any, is unknown).

Aided by Major League Baseball's decision to allow All-Star voting in Japan, Ichiro was the first rookie to lead all players in voting for the All-Star Game. His normal attire is an orange t-shirt, blue shorts, white socks and blue training shoes. 25-31). Bart's dress sense is fairly standard. (Whiting, 2004, pp. He is also known as Bartman. In Seattle, ticket sales (and wins) were higher than ever, fans from Japan were taking $2,000 baseball tours to see the games, more than 150 Japanese reporters and photographers were clamoring for access, and "Ichirolls" were being sold at sushi stands in the ballpark.The flight agencies also benefited from Ichiro, many Ichiro fans were flying in and out of the country just to see him play. When he vandalizes property, Bart uses the alias El Barto, which is a Spanglish way of saying "Bart." However, no one in Springfield has made the connection and Bart still vandalizes property without getting caught.

By mid-season, he had produced hitting streaks of 15 and 23 games, been on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and created a media storm on both sides of the Pacific. In 1998, Time magazine selected Bart as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century—the only fictional character to make the list. Not only did he prove he belonged, Ichiro had a remarkable 2001 season, accumulating 242 hits (the most by any player since 1930) and leading the league with a .350 batting average and 56 stolen bases. In an interview, Simpsons creator Matt Groening stated he chose the name as an anagram of brat. Up to that point, only pitchers from Japan had been playing in the United States and, in the same way that many Japanese teams had considered the 18-year-old Ichiro too small to draft in 1992, many in the US believed he was too frail to succeed against Major League pitching or endure the longer 162-game season. In another episode set entirely in the future he's a blue-collar worker like his father. Ichiro's move to the United States was viewed with great interest because he was the first Japanese position player to play regularly for a Major League Baseball team. In a short scene set in the future Bart is shown to become a Supreme Court Justice.

In his nine seasons in Japan, Ichiro was a career .353 batter and, in addition to his hitting achievements, won seven Gold Glove Awards. This may be inherited from Homer, who has also demonstrated advanced language abilities, including penguin. Ichiro signed a three-year, $14 million contract with the Mariners and became the first Japanese-born everyday position player in the Major Leagues. Also in "Bart on the Road," he makes a delivery to Hong Kong where he hauls a cooler labeled "HUMAN EYES" off the plane, and brings it to a man in a white lab coat where they converse in Chinese (specifically, the variety of Cantonese spoken in the city). After the 2000 season, in which Ichiro posted his highest batting average (.387), a Pacific League record (U.S.-born Randy Bass, former Hanshin Tigers player, holds the highest single-season batting average in Japanese baseball history with .389 in 1986), Seattle won a bidding war among Major League teams for the rights to negotiate with him on a contract. He also once made an exchange with Homer in Japanese. In a move both charitable and practical, Manager Akira Ogi decided to release Ichiro from any obligations to the team and allow him to pursue his dream. He also was able to speak Spanish briefly on a trip to Brazil; however, he forced himself to forget when he discovered that they speak Portuguese in Brazil.

In 2000, Ichiro was still a year away from being eligible for free agency, but the Blue Wave were no longer among Japan's best teams and would probably not be able to afford to keep him. Bart speaks French fluently. Following the 1996 season, playing in an exhibition series against a visiting team of Major League All-Stars kindled Ichiro's desire to travel to the United States to play in the Major Leagues. This was parodied when in an episode, Bart says that he doesn't remember being in a commercial, then he holds up a Butterfinger and eats it. By this time, the Japanese press had begun calling him the "Human Batting Machine." The following year, with Ichiro winning his third straight MVP award, the team defeated the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants in the Japan Series. Bart Simpson and other characters from The Simpsons appeared in numerous television commercials for Nestlé's Butterfinger candy bars from 1990 to 2001, with his catch-phrase and the slogan "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!". In addition to his second batting title, he led the league in RBIs with 80, hit 25 home runs, and stole 49 bases. Many times, when Homer finds out that Bart has said or done something stupid or bad, he yells out, "Why you little—!" and strangles Bart in anger.

In 1995 Ichiro led the Blue Wave to their first Pacific League pennant in 12 years. (This is an oversimplification of that phenomena, which amusingly popularized the legend even more.). 13-16). Australia" when he placed a very long collect call to an Australian boy to find out in which direction toilets flush in the southern hemisphere. (Whiting, 2004, pp. Bart caused a fictional diplomatic incident between the United States and Australia in "Bart vs. Initially, Ichiro disliked and was embarrassed by the practice, but by the end of the season "Ichiro" was a household word and he was being flooded with endorsement offers. Although he frequently takes advantage of Homer, they share many of the same mannerism and behaviors.

Suzuki was the second most common surname in Japan, and his manager introduced the idea as a publicity stunt to help create a new image for what had been a relatively weak team, as well as a way to distinguish their rising star. Various explinations for his behavior include genetics (the male-linked 'Simpson Stupidity' gene), environment (watching and emulating Homer's bad examples), disinterest of his school's faculty, and a general dim view of authority. It was during the 1994 season that he became known as "Ichiro". While Bart is considerably undermotivated and takes great joy in disrupting the routine at Springfield Elementary, his actions and speech frequently show considerable mental agility and understanding, and so he cannot be called "stupid" per se. He also hit 13 home runs and had 29 stolen bases, helping him to earn his first of three straight Pacific League Most Valuable Player awards.
He is a self-proclaimed underachiever who begins each show in detention writing lines on the blackboard (see list of Bart Simpson's blackboard sentences), and pretty much distracted by anything; even, strangely enough, algebraic equations. He responded by setting a Japanese single-season record with 210 hits in 130 games for a then-Pacific League record .385 batting average and won the first of a record seven consecutive batting titles. Like many other characters on the show, Bart is also left-handed.

In 1994 he benefited from the arrival of a new manager who put him in the leadoff spot for the Blue Wave and allowed him to hit any way he wanted. Bart's interests include skateboarding, comic books (especially Radioactive Man), terrorizing his sisters, helping Lisa solve various problems (e.g, reuniting Krusty the Clown with his estranged father), Dickensian chimney sweeps, mooning unsuspecting victims, and prank calling Moe Szyslak at his tavern. "pendulum batting style" due to the pendulum-like motion of the leg, shifting the weight forward as he swung the bat), was considered to go against conventional baseball wisdom, which insisted that the weight must remain on the rear leg in order to hit the ball effectively. The year is probably not consistent as Bart is always described as being 10 years old. The swing, nicknamed 振り子打法 (furiko dahō) (i.e. However, in the episode "I Married Marge", it was revealed that Bart was conceived in late-May 1980 (Homer and Marge had just seen The Empire Strikes Back), which would make his birthday April 1, 1981. Ichiro made his Pacific League debut in 1992 at the age of 18, but he spent most of his first two seasons with a farm team due to his manager's refusal to accept Ichiro's unorthodox swing. According to the show's chronology Bart was born in 1982 as he is two years and 38 days older than Lisa, who was born during the 1984 Summer Olympics.

2-12). According to the book The Simpsons Uncensored Family Album (ISBN 0-06-096582-7), his "birthday" is April 1 or April Fool's Day. (Whiting, 2004, pp. He is the 10-year-old son of Homer and Marge Simpson and older brother of Lisa and Maggie. Yet, despite the production of outstanding numbers in high school, Ichiro was not drafted until the fourth and final round of the professional draft in November 1991 because many teams were put off by his small size, 5'9", 120 pounds (54 kg). Bartholomew Jo-Jo "Bart" Simpson (voiced by Nancy Cartwright) is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. These exercises helped develop his wrists and hips, adding power and endurance to his thin frame. However, this has never been mentioned in the series.

Among the strength drills he performed in training there were hurling car tires and hitting wiffleballs with a heavy shovel. In the comics, it is revealed that the Simpsons and the Delroys are related, which means Cletus, Brandine, and their numerous children are Bart's cousins. We have to make him spiritually strong." When he was ready to enter high school, Ichiro was selected by a school with a prestigious baseball program, Nagoya's Aikodai Meiden Kōkō, where, unlike as a professional, Ichiro was primarily a pitcher instead of an outfielder, owing to his exceptionally strong arm. Montgomery Burns. When Ichiro joined his junior high school baseball team, his father told the coach, "No matter how good Ichiro is, don't ever praise him. Former heir to C. According to Ichiro, "It bordered on hazing and I suffered a lot.". Nephew to Herbert Powell, Abbie, Patty Bouvier and Selma Bouvier Terwilliger Hutz McClure.

Nobuyuki claimed, "Baseball was fun for both of us," but Ichiro later said, "It might have been fun for him, but for me it was a lot like "Star of the Giants," a popular Japanese manga series that told of a young boy's difficult road to success as a professional baseball player, partially due to rigorous training demanded by the father). the twin brother of Hugo (who appears in a Halloween-Special episode). By age 12, he had set professional baseball as his goal and, while he apparently shared his father's vision, he did not enjoy their training sessions. Older brother to Lisa Marie Simpson and Margaret Simpson. As a Little Leaguer, Ichiro had the word shūchū (集中 — "concentration") written on his glove. Son to Homer Jay Simpson and Marjorie Bouvier Simpson.
. Grandson to Abraham Simpson, Mona Simpson, Clancy Bouvier, and Jacqueline Bouvier.

The two began a daily routine which included:. "If I was Fat Tony, and God-willing, some day I will be....". At age seven, Ichiro joined his first baseball team and asked his father, Nobuyuki Suzuki (鈴木宣之 Suzuki Nobuyuki), to teach him to be a better player. Will it be waiting for you in heaven?". . "What if you're a really good person, but you get into a really, really bad fight and your leg gets gangrene and it has to be amputated. 2004 was his most impressive (offensive) season yet, as he set several MLB records, including a new all-time, single-season Major League record with 262 hits. "I don't know! I don't know why I did it, I don't know why I enjoyed it, and I don't know why I'll do it again!".

He became the first Japanese-born everyday position player in the Major Leagues. "Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa?". When the Blue Wave granted his release after the 2000 season, Ichiro signed a contract with the Mariners. "I think its ironic that for once Dad's butt prevented the release of toxic gas.". He moved to the United States in 2001 after playing for seven years for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League. But there's so many things I'll never get a chance to do: smoke a cigarette, use a fake ID, shave a swear word in my hair.".
Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木 一朗, Suzuki Ichirō, イチロー, born October 22, 1973 in Toyoyama, Nishikasugai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan) is the right fielder for the Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball team. I guess now I'm paying the price.

Ichiro's 704 at bats fell one short of Willie Wilson's record of 705. "You know, I've done a lot of bad stuff through the years. His 225 Singles in 2004 shattered the previous all-era record of 206, set by Wee Willie Keeler in 1898. "Inside every hardened criminal beats the heart of a ten-year-old boy.". October 3: Ichiro completed the 2004 season with 262 hits and an MLB-leading .372 batting average. It's just something they made up to scare kids, like the boogeyman or Michael Jackson.". His 257th hit also set the Major League record for most hits over any four-year span, with 919. "There's no such thing as a soul.

Louis Browns in 1920. "Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine with all the chicks?". October 1: Ichiro collected his 258th and 259th hits, breaking the record set by George Sisler with the St. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again...aye carumba!". Ichiro bettered the modern (post-1900) record of 198 set by Lloyd Waner of Pittsburgh in 1927. "Christmas is a time when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.". September 17: He broke the major league record with his 199th single of the season in the seventh. "Do the Bartman.".

August 28: He became the first player in MLB history to have three 50-hit months in a single season. "I'm Bart Simpson—who the hell are you?". August 26: With a home run off of Kansas City Royals reliever Jeremy Affeldt, Ichiro became the first player in Major League history to reach 200 hits in each of his first four seasons. "Eat my shorts!". hitting 250-300 pitches from a machine. "I didn't do it, no one saw me do it, you can't prove anything!". fielding 50 infield balls and 50 outfield balls, and. "Don't have a cow, man.".

hitting 200 pitches from Nobuyuki. "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!" – Butterfinger commercials. throwing 50 pitches. "Aye carumba!". "The Heartbroke Kid" - Bart puts on weight after gorging on junk food at school and suffers a heart attack. "The Wandering Juvie" - Bart gets sent to juvenile detention and escapes á la The Defiant Ones.

"Bart the General" - Bart takes on the class bully in a parody of Patton. "Bart the Genius" - Bart is mistaken for a genius.