Thirteen times in 12 games as a Cub, the right-handed slugger with the uncommon eye at the plate has walked \u2014 and then stepped back from the plate and taken the long way to first, circling behind the catcher and umpire before relocating the base line.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of disrespectful to walk in front of someone,\u201d the former Japanese batting champ said through his team interpreter, Toy Matsushita. \u201cEspecially if it\u2019s someone older than you. It\u2019s Japanese culture. It\u2019s not a good thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not every player from Japan has done that in the majors; in fact, we can\u2019t think of any from recent memory (Kosuke Fukudome, for instance, is left-handed, so it doesn\u2019t apply; same with Yankee slugger Hideki Matsui before him).<\/p>\n
And not every player in NPB in Japan does it, say veteran Japanese baseball writers.<\/p>\n
\u201cDepends on the person,\u201d Suzuki said, \u201cbut that\u2019s what I was taught as a kid, to be respectful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Baseball's Mr. Nice Guy: Suzuki's unique unwritten rule. #Japan<\/a> #Cubs<\/a> #MLB<\/a> \u2066@nlbmprez<\/a>\u2069 \u2066@mattrich0722<\/a>\u2069 \u2066@GilCividanes<\/a>\u2069 https:\/\/t.co\/hH6Kmg2F3Z<\/a><\/p>\n — Barry Bradford (@BarryMotivates) April 22, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n