With total respect, I didn’t know if he knew any English. So I looked over, and, in my imitation of what I heard in Japan, I said, “Ichiro, nice batting.” And he looks at me and goes ...

The former Mariners superstar was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote (named on all but one ballot) ...

True to form, Ichiro would go on to give a short speech in English while enjoying a glass of champagne inside the clubhouse ...

Ichiro grew to be hip in the majors, which fit the nation’s branding as “Cool Japan.” On the way, he bumped into pressure in Japan to conform, expressed in the saying “deru kugi wa utareru.” Roughly ...