イチローさん「夢ゆめのよう」米べい野球やきゅう殿堂でんどう入いり式典しきてんで英語えいごスピーチ

The American Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held in Cooperstown, New York, where Ichiro, the first Japanese player to be inducted, gave a speech in English and expressed his joy and gratitude, saying, Standing here feels like a wonderful dream.

Ichiro, who set a Major League record with 262 hits in a season for the Mariners and had a 19-year career, has been selected this year as the first Japanese player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which honors players and others who have made significant achievements in Major League Baseball.

On the 27th, an award ceremony was held in Cooperstown, known as the birthplace of baseball, and Ichiro, along with this years inductees—CC Sabathia, who achieved a total of 251 wins, and Billy Wagner, who recorded 422 saves—attended the event.

At the ceremony, each award recipient was given time for a speech, and lastly, when Ichiro took the stage, he first received a ring commemorating his induction into the Hall of Fame.

And then, as I faced the English speech I said I was nervous about, I felt like I had become a rookie once again, just like when I joined professional baseball and when I came to the Major Leagues.

Thank you for warmly welcoming me to this great team.

I’m already 51 years old, so please go easy on me, he joked as he expressed his happiness about being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

On top of that, he mentioned Hideo Nomo, who can be considered a pioneer among Japanese players in Major League Baseball, saying, His courageous challenge broadened my horizons and opened the path for me to take on the challenge of playing in the Major Leagues. He then expressed his gratitude in Japanese to Nomo, who was present at the venue, saying, Mr. Nomo, thank you very much.

He also looked back on his journey so far and spoke about his feelings for baseball, saying, Baseball isnt just about hitting and pitching; it taught me whats important and has shaped my life and my world.

And after expressing his gratitude to the people who supported his baseball career, such as his wife Yumiko, he said, Being inducted into the Hall of Fame was never my goal.

It feels like an incredible dream to be standing here today, he concluded his speech, and the fans gathered at the venue stood up, giving a big round of applause while chanting Ichiro.

I cant speak very well, but in Americas language... After the award ceremony, Ichiro held a press conference and spoke about his speech in English, saying, When I practice once, it takes nearly 20 minutes, so I couldnt do it many times, and that was difficult.

I was really worried about whether I was getting my message across, they recalled.

Regarding the reason for choosing to give the speech in English rather than Japanese: Of course, I cant speak it very well, but I thought that speaking in English, which is, after all, the language of America, would be the best way to convey my feelings.

It was an incredibly high hurdle for me, but I had no hesitation, he explained.

Ichiros speech was full of jokes throughout, and the audience burst into laughter many times.

When asked by American media, Do you usually value humor?, I replied, English jokes and Japanese jokes are different, but for example, when Im having a meal with friends, Im basically the kind of person who wants to have a good time.

The Hall of Fame wasnt my goal, but making people laugh is pretty much my goal, he answered with a smile, referring to the content of his own speech.

And regarding Hideo Nomo, whom I thanked in my speech, If Mr. Nomo hadnt played in the Major Leagues, the distance between Japan and the Major Leagues would never have narrowed.

When I was really struggling and conflicted in professional baseball, I saw Nomo-san’s success and was deeply moved.

I actually played against him in professional baseball, so that became my motivation, he said, once again emphasizing how significant Nomo-sans presence was.

Ichiros relief was also unveiled before the speech at the award ceremony, and he took a commemorative photo holding the relief.

After the ceremony ended, the relief was brought into the museum and attached to the base that Ichiro signed when his induction into the Hall of Fame was decided this January.

Many fans quickly visited the museum and took photos with Ichiros relief in the background.

This relief began production right after the induction was decided this January, and it was completed over the course of about six months.

According to the sculptor who created it, special attention was paid to the powerful expression of the eyes in order to convey Ichiros strong will.

At the press conference after the ceremony, Ichiro said, I couldnt really look at it during the ceremony because I was holding it, but I was surprised at how heavy it was.

I dont really feel like Im standing alongside the great players, but I think I have to create something worthy of that in my life from now on, he said.

Mr. Wang said, Since top-class players from each team gathered, the team didnt really come together, but at that time, he said, Come on, lets do running practice, and ran at full speed from the very first run.

So everyone was really surprised, and after that, the teams morale improved a lot.

It really fired us up, and the whole team changed completely because of that one run of his, he revealed, sharing a behind-the-scenes story of how Ichiro led the team by example.

Also, Hideki Matsui, who played in the major leagues around the same time, said, I feel like he elevated Japanese baseball in the eyes of America by two or three levels.

In terms of overall ability as an individual player, I cant compare to Ichiro at all, and you can tell its Ichiro just by the way he runs or stands at the plate.

There arent many players like that, he said.

When asked about the most memorable play, I mentioned the scene where Ichiro hit a come-from-behind walk-off home run off Rivera, the Yankees’ closer who was also inducted into the Hall of Fame, during a 2009 game between the Mariners and the Yankees.

At the time, Matsui, who was with the Yankees, recalled with a smile, We felt at ease watching because Rivera was pitching, but at that moment I thought, This is Ichiro.

Commissioner Sakakibara spoke to the press before the ceremony and said about Ichiros induction into the Hall of Fame, I had a chance to meet with Ichiro yesterday, and he was extremely happy about being inducted.

As a Japanese and as a baseball person, I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations, he said.

During this visit, a meeting with MLB Commissioner Manfred is also scheduled, and I think its wonderful that Ichiro will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in both Japan and America in the same year.

I hope that this will serve as an opportunity for both Japanese and American baseball to develop together, he said.

Of these, at the Tokyo Dome, where Ichiros retirement game was held in 2019, special editions were distributed starting at 7 a.m. Because only 10,000 copies with serial numbers were available, about 200 people formed a long line.

The extra edition is produced with a layout resembling that of an English-language newspaper, and on the cover is a photo of Ichiro in his signature pose—stepping up to the plate, extending his right hand, and standing his bat upright. There is also a large English headline that reads, “Congratulations, Ichiro, on your induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame!”

Additionally, the article includes congratulatory comments from Bob Melvin, who was the Mariners manager when Ichiro achieved the Major League record of 262 hits in a season. It also introduces an episode where, although Melvin tried to give Ichiro some rest during the season, Ichiro never agreed to take a break for the sake of the fans.

Mr. Melvin knew that fans and children who came to see him were paying money for that special day.

I also knew that if I didn’t play in the match, that kid would be really disappointed.

He praised him, saying, The words that describe him are dedication and thorough preparation.

The woman who was the first to receive the extra edition at the head of the line said, I found out about the extra edition yesterday, so I stayed overnight and started lining up from 4:30 a.m. today.

He’s the person who gave me the opportunity to fall in love with baseball, so I can only feel grateful, he said with a smile.

Commemorative extra editions will be distributed not only at Tokyo Dome, but also in Kobe City, where Ichiro played as his home base during his time with the professional baseball team Orix, and in Toyoyama Town, Aichi Prefecture, his hometown.