MESA, Ariz. — Seiya Suzuki needed time to grasp the reality nearly four weeks ago that his left oblique strain would prevent him from playing in the World Baseball Classic.
It didn’t stop him from tuning in to the tournament and following Team Japan’s journey to Tuesday’s championship title with its 3-2 win over Team USA. His teammates hung Suzuki’s No. 51 jersey in their dugout and brought it onto the field during the title celebration and awards ceremony. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Suzuki.
“Even though I wasn’t on the team and I wasn’t able to do much for the team, how they did that for me holding up my uniform, not just in that situation but every game they had my uniform in the dugout, it meant a lot for me,” Suzuki said Wednesday through interpreter Toy Matsushita. “Just seeing everyone grind out there ... they were one of the motivators to keep on going and keeping my head up throughout the whole process.”
