TOKYO -- It had been a few years since Seiya Suzuki heard the raucous chants and songs that Hanshin Tigers fans perform for each hitter in their team¡¯s lineup. On Saturday at the Tokyo Dome, the Cubs outfielder said he got goosebumps experiencing it again, while enjoying seeing his teammates¡¯ reactions.
During the postgame press conference after Chicago¡¯s¡¯ 3-0 exhibition loss to the Tigers, Suzuki put his head down and laughed when asked if the fans in Wrigley Field¡¯s bleacher seats should come up with songs for each player in the Cubs¡¯ lineup.
Tokyo Series 2025: Dodgers vs. Cubs
? Ohtani ignites Dodgers past Cubs in Tokyo Series opener
? Top moments from Tokyo Series Game 1
? Imanaga bests Ohtani in 'made for TV' Tokyo matchup
? Game 2 FAQ: Lineups, starting pitchers, how to watch and more
? 'I'll remember everything': Shaw makes much-anticipated debut
? Pok¨¦mon front and center as Tokyo Series celebrates Japanese icons
? Freeman (left rib discomfort) scratched from Tokyo Series opener
? MLB's history of games played abroad
? 150 years of history has led to historic Opening Day
? Seiya taking BP with a samurai sword is exactly as cool as it sounds
¡°I fear that something wild is going to happen,¡± Suzuki said via interpreter. ¡°So, let¡¯s keep it the way it is.¡±
The pack of Hanshin fans in the right-field seats banded together to help fuel a rowdy atmosphere for the first of two exhibition games the Cubs will play this week. The North Siders will also take on the Yomiuri Giants on Sunday in the final trial run ahead of facing the Dodgers on Tuesday and Wednesday in the season-opening Tokyo Series.
As loud as the local fans were for Hanshin¡¯s players, it did not compare to the reception Suzuki received in his first game in Japan as a Major Leaguer. Once a star for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Nippon Professional Baseball, Suzuki returned as a key part to a Cubs offense that hopes to reach the playoffs this season.
¡°I have a lot of good memories at this stadium,¡± Suzuki said. ¡°The cheers before I stepped in the box, I definitely heard it. Just overall, today was a really good experience.¡±
Suzuki registered two of the four hardest-hit balls in the game, launching pitches at 107.5 mph in the first inning and then 111.7 mph in the fourth. Both line drives found the glove of a Hanshin outfielder. In the seventh, Suzuki shattered his bat, but the baseball found its way into left field for a single to give him a hit in front of a celebrating crowd.
¡°Seiya swung the bat well today -- certainly as well as anybody on our team,¡± Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. ¡°The first two at-bats, he hit the ball extremely hard. So, he deserved a hit.¡±
Throughout the stands, it was not hard to spot young fans wearing Suzuki jerseys -- multiple Cubs variations and others from his days belting home runs for Hiroshima. That means a lot to Suzuki, who remembers being in their shoes. When he was 9 years old, Suzuki was in the Tokyo Dome for Hideki Matsui¡¯s home run for the Yankees in their 2004 trip to Japan.
¡°It makes me very happy,¡± Suzuki said. ¡°I was at the opposite end, looking up at the players. And now being kind of at the opposite end of the spectrum, it gives me a strange feeling. But I came to the Tokyo Series wanting to make [a good impression] on them.¡±
Amaya breaks up perfecto
One of the challenges for the Cubs during these exhibition games in Japan is facing teams without the same level of advanced scouting information and data available as during the Major League season. Counsell actually enjoyed that element this week.
¡°I think it¡¯s one of the fun parts of the two games,¡± Counsell said. ¡°We live in an era of baseball now where information dominates every bit of preparation. And we get to play two games where there¡¯s not a lot of information. That¡¯s fun. As an older person -- going back to an era maybe where I played -- you might have to ask the hitter before, like, ¡®What¡¯s he got?¡¯ That may be the advanced scouting report.
¡°I think that¡¯s fun. Now, we¡¯ll see if our hitters like it. Our hitters want the information.¡±
As it turned out, Hanshin starter Keito Mombetsu was perfect against the Cubs lineup for five innings. Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya then ended the team¡¯s 0-for-16 drought in the sixth with a one-out single to left against Tigers reliever Nick Nelson.
¡°I had no idea it was a no-no or a perfect game going,¡± Amaya said. ¡°I was just locked in, trying to have a good at-bat. I got the knock in there, and I saw everybody cheering for it. I feel proud, having that knock in the game.¡±
Cubs¡¯ pitching plans
Righty reliever Julian Merryweather worked a clean first inning to begin a planned bullpen day for the Cubs. In all, Counsell cycled through nine pitchers against the Tigers, setting up starting pitchers Jameson Taillon and Mattthew Boyd for a piggyback-style game against Yomiuri in Sunday¡¯s exhibition.
Quotable
¡°The fact that I played in the Tokyo Dome wearing a Cubs uniform is a very, very special experience for me. And it¡¯s something I will remember for the rest of my life.¡± -- Suzuki