Ichiro Suzuki, hero of the World Baseball Classic, in his Seattle Mariners batting pose. He points his right arm at the pitcher, holding his bat straight up in the air and pulls up his right sleeve with his left hand. He does this before every pitch. All batters have their little rituals in the ballet called baseball: fastening and unfastening their hitting gloves, crossing themselves, adjusting their batting helmets. But Ichirio’s is one of the most distinctive. Although Ichiro is right-handed, he bats left in order to be closer to first base and takes his first step towards the base at the end of every swing.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 