CHICAGO (AP) — Seiya Suzuki watched the playoffs on TV after each of his first three years in the majors. It was a frustrating experience for the Japanese slugger.
Tuesday was much, much better.
Suzuki hit a crucial home run to help the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of their NL Wild Card Series. The usually reserved Suzuki pumped his right arm and yelled in celebration as he made his way to first base after his big swing.
“This year with this team, these teammates, we’ve battled for 162 games,” he said through a translator. “The difficult times and the good times, everything included. It felt great. … I’m just kind of looking forward to keep on playing, keep on grinding it out with my teammates and hopefully play as long as we can together.”
Chicago had just one hit before Suzuki opened the fifth with a 424-foot shot into the bleachers in left-center on a 94.5 mph fastball from Nick Pivetta. Carson Kelly followed with another homer, giving the Cubs a 2-1 lead on a warm, sunny afternoon at Wrigley Field.
The 31-year-old Suzuki extended his homer streak to five games going back to the regular season. He is 6 for 16 with six homers and 11 RBIs during the power surge.
“Yeah, I can’t really explain it,” Suzuki said with his 3-year-old son, Hiroto, sitting on his lap. “I think with the past week coming into this game, I feel like there’s been a playoff switch that’s been turned on. I think with today, it’s not just me; I think that homer was just the result of all my teammates being there and supporting me, all the fans. I think everybody was involved in that.”
Suzuki signed an $85 million, five-year contract with Chicago in March 2022. He played in 111 games in his first year in the majors, batting .262 with 14 homers and 46 RBIs.
Suzuki served as the team’s primary designated hitter this year after the Cubs acquired right fielder Kyle Tucker in a trade with Houston in December. The change caused some friction between Suzuki’s camp and the team.
Suzuki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said during the winter meetings that his client thought of himself as an outfielder, and Chicago had some conversations about a possible trade. But it ended up holding onto him.
Suzuki responded with a fast start, hitting .263 with 25 homers and 77 RBIs in 92 games before the All-Star break. Despite a prolonged slump in the second half, he finished with a career-high 32 homers and 103 RBIs.
“I’m really happy for Seiya,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after the victory over the Padres. “I know he was very, very excited to take part in this and to play in this, and happy he had a big role in it.”
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