The league has had some trouble getting top players to participate in this year’s Home Run Derby, with stars like Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and Aaron Judge declining to join in on the fun way in advance of when they even would have been asked. A very emphatic “no thanks, really ... no.”
Ichiro in the Home Run Derby? Probably not but WHAT IF?
Best Home Run Derby participant ever.
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
So the league is hoping for excitement to come from other sources, even though what those sources might be haven’t been revealed just yet.
A new contender emerged today though, with Ichiro joking about entering in the Derby even though he’s technically no longer on a major league roster. Of course, Ichiro thought of the integrity of the game first and foremost and said it would harm baseball’s history.
But he also gave some insight as to how amazing it would be if he did participate. He would want Mark Buehrle pitching to him (amazing) and would potentially have to eat another cheeseburger at lunch to get ready for the competition (even more amazing).
The Mariners support this hypothetical reality where Ichiro hits in the Derby, which makes it even better. They’ve started an #IchiforDC campaign and noted that he launches balls every day when he joins in on batting practice. Here’s proof.
Scott Servais talked about all the reasons Ichiro should do it, and we have to agree.
Even if he doesn’t hit, he could be the pitcher for someone else which has also been done during team batting practice. The bottom line is that we need Ichiro in the Home Run Derby because otherwise it’s shaping up to be a whole pile of meh.
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