Leading up to the Baseball Hall of Fame class announcement on Jan. 21, we’ll be examining the cases of notable candidates every Thursday. We’ve already covered Félix Hernández, CC Sabathia, Andruw Jones, Francisco Rodríguez and a trio of second basemen in Chase Utley, Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler. Up next is outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who’s in his first year on the ballot.
Ichiro Suzuki liked to say he enjoyed hitting leadoff because the batter’s box was still pristine at first pitch. The imagery, like the manicured nature of the dirt, is perfect. The 24-square foot chalked rectangle became a Zen Garden for his unique artistry.
