"Nippon" "There is no one else but Hideki Matsui!" Ichiro Suzuki has the highest expectations for Giant's new director

Ichiro Suzuki. (File photo)

[Reporter Ni Wanjun/Comprehensive Report] The 52-year-old Matsui Hideki officially took over the Giants, which not only shocked the Japanese baseball world, but also raised the highest expectations for the legendary star of the same generation, Suzuki Ichiro. In an interview with "Kyodo News" in Seattle today, he bluntly said: "The head coach personnel alone can attract so much attention, except Matsui Hideki, no one else!" It is even imagined that in the future, Japanese professional baseball may develop with Matsui as the core.

Regarding Matsui taking over the reins of the Giants, 53-year-old Suzuki Ichiro pointed out, "This is a decision that makes people feel that he has made a decision. I even have a feeling that the future Nippon Professional Baseball will gradually take shape with Director Matsui as the core."

The amateur team "KOBE CHIBEN" founded by Ichiro has been participating in exchange games with the high school women's baseball selection team since 2021, and Matsui has also participated in the competition since 2024, deepening the exchange between the two. Ichiro said of Matsui's character: "No matter what he does, he always has the history, character and tradition of the Giants team in mind."

Both of them played for the New York Yankees, a major league team, and they have the same attitude and values as professional players. "Fans come to professional baseball games to see real wins and losses. How I look in the eyes of the fans is something that both Matsui and I take very seriously."

Regarding his comrades of the same generation who will be in charge of the Giant Army, Ichiro also expressed his expectations: "I hope that the Giant Army can be a special existence no matter what era it is in."