Remember when Ichiro Suzuki threw out Terrence Long? Now you can add it to your collection of memorabilia!
Remember when Ichiro Suzuki threw out Terrence Long? Now you can add it to your collection of memorabilia with this awesome bobblehead!
Let's hop in the Wayback machine. I know it's not "Throwback Thursday", but sometimes you have to break the mold and do things a bit differently, especially when some killer merch becomes available. Before we get to that, let's set the stage.
It's 2001, and the Mariners have just made a massive splash in the baseball world by signing Japanese phenom Ichiro Suzuki. He came in on fire, hitting .364/.400/.485 through his first 7 games with the Mariners. Why the odd stat line highlight? Well, it's because that wasn't the impressive feat that we wanted to look at. It's what he did in the field that put the entire baseball world on high alert. How impressive was it?
Well, it was like something out of Star Wars.
I still get chills watching that everytime, whether it's the TV call or the radio call of it. There's having a strong arm, and then there's having a "don't you dare think of ever running on that man" arm. Ichiro had the latter, as Terrence Long found out. You can tell he didn't expect it either, as he looked dumbfounded to be out on the play. I would be too seeing where Long was at on the bases when the ball was released.
Also, that camera angle? Pure bliss.
If you want something to commemorate that beautiful throw by Ichiro, there's an awesome bobblehead by FOCO out there that you can get your hands on to add to your collection. It features a bright red laser beam coming out of the ball, helping to cement that "Star Wars" comment. Ichiro is rocking the grey uniform from that day, and standing on a decorative Mariners base with his name on the front of it.
It's a sick bobblehead, and one that should be added to any collection if you can get your hands on it. It may be cold or snowy out here in the Pacific Northwest, but that throw is straight fire. Get yours now!