The whole bullshit thing of their being 1 unanimous HOF member - and that guy being a modern closer is BS.
I can think of 5 pitchers who had a bigger impact on the game than Mariano Rivera post WW2.
Ichiro is among the top 10 hitters the past 50 years. Is he Rose - no, he had more talent, more humility, same love of the sport and the same level of desire to win but also understood it was just a game.
Bottom line - bases loaded - game tied bottom of 9 with 2 out - who else would you want in the batters box ? Ted Williams, DiMaggio, Jeter maybe? Ichiro is on that short list. Mantle in his prime too - just based on his contact ability and ability to launch the ball 500 feet.
