For those of you who may have blinked and missed it, the Yankees made it to the ALCS this year. After battling against the Orioles in a dramatic ALDS series, New York was embarrassed by the Tigers by way of a four-game sweep in which they never led for an inning. Whether it was the injury to Derek Jeter or the slumps of Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano, the Yankees looked like they didn’t even want to be there.
At least one player appreciated the experience, no matter how painful it may have been. After New York’s 8-1 loss in Game 4 on Thursday, Ichiro Suzuki gave the following comments through his translator.
“I’m very disappointed the season ended,” Ichiro said according to the NY Post. “But this time the Yankees gave me, I’m so grateful for. The feelings you have, the satisfaction and hurt, is something I hadn’t experienced in a while. So to even experience this pain right now, I’m so grateful for.”
Ichiro hadn’t appeared in the postseason since 2001 and has been a part of some awful Mariners teams over the last decade or so, so you can understand why getting swept in the playoffs beats a 65-win season for him. That being said, the fans hardly feel the same. Nick Swisher felt a different kind of pain when playing at Yankee Stadium in the ALCS, and Yankee fans are disgusted as a whole. If 2012 winds up being the last time the soon-to-be 39-year-old Ichiro appears in a playoff game, we’re glad he enjoyed the experience. The fans of New York certainly didn’t.
