Now, Rikuu Nashida looks like he might be ready to make a name for himself, too. The Japanese outfielder made his debut with the White Sox in their 3-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on May 25. Nishida was responsible for the highlight of the game. With the score tied 1-1 in the second inning, Nashida fielded a ground ball in right field that he scooped up and launched on a rope to home plate to put Orlando Arcia out. It was an impressive display of arm strength that directly resulted in a win and has White Sox fans excited for what is to come from their newest Japanese rookie sensation.

After the game, a reporter compared Nashida’s throw to a play that Ichiro Suzuki would make. Of course, Suzuki is the pride of Japanese baseball players. What was meant as a compliment left Nashida giving a hilarious reaction of disagreement.

“No, don’t compare [me] to Ichiro,” Nashida exclaimed. “No, no, no, no. Still heavy is my number 51. I want to change my number right now… I cannot be like Ichiro.

Suzuki, who rocked the number 51 long before Nashida, is clearly a player that the White Sox’s youngster looks up to, but Nashida recognizes he has a long way to go to deserve any comparisons to the 2025 Hall of Fame inductee.