'Kamitteru' - The 2016 Breakout
Seiya Suzuki was drafted second overall by the Hiroshima Carp in 2013 from Nishogakusha Fuzoku High School. In 2016, he exploded with a .335 average, 29 home runs, and 95 RBI, driving Hiroshima's first pennant in 25 years. Back-to-back walk-off home runs on June 17-18 against Orix inspired manager Koichi Ogata's 'Kamitteru' (godlike) comment, which won the 2016 buzzword award and made Suzuki a household name beyond baseball.
The Core of Three Consecutive Pennants
Suzuki anchored Hiroshima's 2016-2018 three-peat, hitting .300/26 HR in 2017 and .320/30 HR in 2018. His combination of right-handed power and opposite-field hitting ability was elite in NPB. He also won four consecutive Golden Glove Awards for his outfield defense. Alongside Hiroki Kuroda's return and Tomoaki Arai's comeback, Suzuki's development formed one of three pillars supporting Hiroshima's golden era.
The Cubs Challenge
After the 2021 season, Suzuki posted to MLB and signed a five-year, $85 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, the largest posting contract for a Japanese position player. His 2022 debut produced a .262 average and 14 home runs as he adapted to MLB pitching. He has since established himself as a Cubs regular, emerging as a model for right-handed Japanese hitters succeeding in MLB.
Legacy in Hiroshima
Suzuki's Hiroshima career totals of .312 average, 182 home runs, and 562 RBI across seven seasons cemented his place alongside Tomonori Maeda and Tomoaki Kanemoto in the Carp's lineage of great hitters. Hiroshima's subsequent struggles without a cleanup hitter paradoxically proved his irreplaceable value.