Monster Card Monday: 2004 Ichiro Suzuki

I’m dedicating this week’s MCM to my friend Don Smith in the Illowa APBA Leugue.  He’s had Ichiro Suzuki on his Molly Putts Marauders team since the year I drafted Albert Pujols with the first pick in the draft.  To this day, he swears he would have drafted Ichiro even if he had that first pick that year.  You know what?  I believe him, too. 

At Illowa weekends, we all know when Ichiro is batting.  Throughout the room, we hear Don’s trademark announcement, “EEECCHHERohh!”

Ichiro hit .372 for the last place Mariners in 2004.  This would be the fourth year in a row that he hit .300 in the AL.  Ichiro would go on to hit that mark for six more straight years until 2011 when he fell to .272. 

Ichiro’s 2004 card is full of fun and the best part is that you can play him all the time.  He started 160 games for Seattle (and came in once as a sub).  As usual, he led the AL in at-bats that year with 704. 

Like in real life, Ichiro consistently led the IAL in that category.  Not only that, he dominates the all-time single season top ten list for most at bats in a season for our league:

Other notables on Ichiro’s 2004 card:

• Just two 13s…
• …but three 31s
• no 24s
• Ichiro gets the 11-10-10 combination instead of 11-10 and 11s in the second column.  A lesser hitter may have gotten that, I think. 

Thanks to Pastor Rich for the suggestion!