Ichiro Throws Shade on Pete Rose, Analyzes American Behavior in One Quote

Ichiro Suzuki talked with ESPN about his chase for 3,000 hits in MLB and the overall hit record, including his time in Japan. The topic of Pete Rose and his interaction with Ichiro came up.

"I was actually happy to see the Hit King get defensive. I kind of felt I was accepted. I heard that about five years ago Pete Rose did an interview, and he said that he wished that I could break that record. Obviously, this time around it was a different vibe. In the 16 years that I have been here, what I’ve noticed is that in America, when people feel like a person is below them, not just in numbers but in general, they will kind of talk you up. But then when you get up to the same level or maybe even higher, they get in attack mode; they are maybe not as supportive. I kind of felt that this time."

Ichiro is an astute observer of human behavior.