Editing Ichiro Suzuki (section)

===Orix BlueWave (1992–2000)===
Suzuki made his NPB [[Pacific League]] debut in 1992 for the [[Orix Buffaloes|Orix BlueWave]] at the age of 18, but he spent most of his first two seasons in the [[farm system]] (accumulating 156 minor league hits and a .368 batting average)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=1467 |title=Ichiro Suzuki - Player Card |website=thebaseballcube.com |access-date=21 July 2021 }}</ref> because his then-[[Manager (baseball)|manager]], [[Shōzō Doi]], refused to accept Suzuki's unorthodox swing. The swing was nicknamed {{Nihongo|'pendulum'|振り子打法|Furiko Dahō}} because of the [[pendulum]]-like motion of his leg, which shifts his weight forward as he swings the bat, and goes against conventional hitting theory. In his second career game, he recorded his first ''ichi-gun'' (Japan's [[Nippon Professional Baseball]] League) hit in the Pacific League against [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks|Fukuoka Daiei Hawks]] pitcher Keiji Kimura.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Curry|first1=Jack|title=How Ichiro's 3,000th Hit Was Covered in Japan|url=https://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/how-ichiros-3000th-hit-was-covered-in-japan/?_r=0|access-date=17 January 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=30 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402035841/https://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/how-ichiros-3000th-hit-was-covered-in-japan/?_r=0|archive-date=2 April 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite hitting a home run in 1993 against [[Hideo Nomo]], who later won the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] [[Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year|Rookie of the Year Award]], Suzuki was nevertheless sent back to the farm system on that very day. In 1994, he benefited from the arrival of a new manager, [[Akira Ohgi|Akira Ōgi]], who played him every day in the second spot of the lineup. He was eventually moved to the leadoff spot, where his immediate productivity dissolved any misgivings about his unconventional swing. He set a Japanese single-season record with 210 hits, the first player ever to top 200 hits in a single season. Five other players have since done so: [[Matt Murton]], [[Nori Aoki|Norichika Aoki]] (twice), [[Alex Ramírez]], [[Tsuyoshi Nishioka]], and [[Shogo Akiyama]].

Suzuki's .385 batting average in 1994 was a Pacific League record and won the young outfielder the first of a record seven consecutive batting titles. Suzuki also hit 13 [[home run]]s and had 29 [[stolen base]]s, helping him to earn his first of three straight Pacific League MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ichiro Suzuki Japanese Leagues Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=suzuki001ich |access-date=2023-04-28 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> It was during the 1994 season that he began to use his given name, "Ichiro," instead of his [[family name]], "Suzuki," on the back of his uniform. Suzuki is the second-most-common family name in Japan, and his manager introduced the idea as a publicity move to help create a new image for what had been a relatively weak team, as well as a way to distinguish their rising star. Initially, Suzuki disliked the practice and was embarrassed by it; however, "Ichiro" was a household name by the end of the season, and he was flooded with endorsement offers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=イチロー、鈴木一朗からの改名でアノ元同僚が"意外な役割"果たしていた！？|url=https://www.asagei.com/175553|access-date=2021-05-31|website=アサ芸プラス|language=ja}}</ref>

In 1995, Suzuki led the Blue Wave to its first Pacific League pennant in 12 years. In addition to his second batting title, he led the league with 80 RBI and 49 stolen bases, while his career-high 25 home runs were third in the league. By this time, the Japanese press had begun calling him the {{Nihongo|"Hit Manufacturing Machine"|安打製造機|Anda Seizōki}}. The following year, with Suzuki winning his third-straight MVP award, the team defeated the Central League champion, [[Yomiuri Giants]], in the Japan Series. Following the 1996 season, playing in an exhibition series against a visiting team of Major League All-Stars kindled Suzuki's desire to travel to the United States to play in the [[MLB|Major Leagues]].

In November 1998, Suzuki participated in a seven-game exhibition series between Japanese and American all-stars. Suzuki batted .380 and collected seven stolen bases in the series, winning praise from several of his MLB counterparts, including [[Sammy Sosa]] and [[Jamie Moyer]], who would become his teammate with the Mariners.

In 2000, Suzuki was still a year away from being eligible for free agency, but the Blue Wave was no longer among Japan's best teams. Because the team would probably not be able to afford to keep him and would lose him without compensation in another year, Orix allowed him to negotiate with Major League clubs. Suzuki used the [[posting system]], and the Seattle Mariners won the right to negotiate with him with a bid of approximately $13&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://money.cnn.com/2002/01/22/news/column_sportsbiz/ | title=The latest Japanese import | publisher=CNN | last=Isidore | first=Chris | date=22 January 2002 | access-date=23 August 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304131934/http://money.cnn.com/2002/01/22/news/column_sportsbiz/ | archive-date=4 March 2007 | url-status=live }}</ref> In November, Suzuki signed a three-year, $14&nbsp;million contract with the Seattle Mariners. In his nine NPB seasons in Japan, Suzuki had 1,278 hits, a .353 career batting average, and won seven [[Mitsui Golden Glove Award|Golden Glove Award]]s. Suzuki's time in the Japanese baseball leagues matured him as a player and a person, and he often credits it for his success.