5 Reasons Ichiro’s Resurgence Makes Him Yankees’ Biggest October X-Factor
August 20, 2012 · Zachary D. Rymer · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Ichiro Suzuki wasn’t having a great season when the New York Yankees pulled off a surprise trade to acquire him from the Seattle Mariners in late July. He was only hitting .261 with a .642 OPS, very un-Ichiro-like numbers.
Still, the Yankees basically couldn’t lose in trading for Ichiro. At worst, they were getting a versatile fourth outfielder. At best, they were getting one of the AL’s best overall players, one who simply needed a jump-start to get going again.
Hats off to Brian Cashman. His gamble is paying off.
The change of scenery has had the desired effect. Ichiro is hitting over .300 as a member of the Yankees, and in the month of August he’s emerged as a player who’s going to be a very important player down the stretch.
He’ll be important in October too once they get there. In fact, here’s a look at why Ichiro is going to be the Yankees’ biggest X-factor in October.
Note: All stats are current as of the start of play on Monday, August 20, and they come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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