Seiya Suzuki isn’t the first player to tell Mike Trout he loves the Angels superstar.
“It’s happened a couple times, maybe,” Trout said Friday with a smirk. “But I don’t know if it ever happened during a media session.”
So what was Trout’s reaction to the video love the Cubs’ free agent rookie from Japan expressed during his media session upon signing the $85 million deal with the Cubs?
Trout stopped short of saying, “I love you, too.” But he did say he’s been asking about Suzuki and following his attention-grabbing start to the season — which included a 1.024 OPS through 19 games heading into Friday’s series opener in Milwaukee.
“I’m curious to see him in person and meet him,” Trout said. “I hear a lot of great things.”
That included scouting reports from teammate Shohei Ohtani and Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara during Suzuki’s high-profile free agency.
“The start he’s had — hitting homers, getting on base, high average, the whole package,” Trout said. “I talked to Shohei and Ippei about him a little bit before he signed, and that’s what he’s capable of doing.”
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Suzuki’s admiration for Trout — which includes paying homage by wearing No. 27 — goes back to the early years of his NPB career when veteran Hiroshima teammate Hiroki Kuroda, the former Dodgers and Yankees pitcher, told Suzuki he reminded him of Trout for his five-tool skill set.
The story goes that Suzuki obsessed over Trout, watching video and adopting him as a baseball role model.
So when someone asked during that media conference why he wears No. 27, Suzuki didn’t wait for the complete translation of the question, grabbed the microphone quickly and answered in English with, “Mike Trout, I love you.”
Trout said he didn’t even know Suzuki was a fan of his until seeing the funny, viral video.
“It just popped up on my phone,” Trout said. “It’s cool. Especially when you talk about him with Showy and Ippei and know that he’s a big-time guy over there.
“He has a good approach up there, and when he gets a ball to hit, he isn’t missing it,” Trout added. “So it’s fun to watch so far. And hopefully he keeps it going.”
Sounds like a lot to love there. Enough to go around on both sides.
Speaking of which, Suzuki get him anything for Valentine’s Day?
Trout laughed. “No.”