Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani and Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki shared a moment together before the Angels vs. Mariners game on Monday.
Major League Baseball shared a photo on their official Twitter account of Ohtani taking off his hat to bow to Ichiro.
A fan shared a video of Ohtani stopping what he was doing to greet Ichiro.
The Sporting News pointed out in a tweet that Ohtani always pays respect to Ichiro whenever he sees him. They shared photos of Ohtani bowing to Ichiro throughout the years.
The players have also had nothing but good things to say about one another in the press. In a 2018 interview, Ohtani said Ichiro helped him improve.
“I really was having trouble — not playing as I thought I should and also with my mental attitude,” Ohtani told MLB News. “[Ichiro] made time for me. From that, I came away in better shape, both in terms of attitude and approach. I am so grateful to him.”
Ichiro had high praise for Ohtani just a month into the two-way player’s rooking year in May 2018.
“You can’t even compare me to him because he’s actually doing something that is going to impact not just Japan or here but the whole world,” Ichiro said of Ohtani in an interview with The Los Angeles Times.
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