Ichiro takes first at-bat in stride

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He doesn't speak English well and Japanese not at all, but Minnesota Twins shortstop Cristian Guzman knows body language. The skills of Mariners outfielder Ichiro cut through the language barrier.

"He may be faster than me," said Guzman, a native of the Dominican Republic who many consider the fastest player in the game. "He's the man now."

Ichiro is the man, the international man of intrigue. The nation has a growing fascination with this 27-year-old seven-time Japan League batting champion. Last night on the grand stage of the 72nd All-Star Game he showed the world a glimpse of what he can do, flashing his bat and his speed.

He opened the game against intimidating left-hander Randy Johnson, the former Mariners player, and was immediately backed off the plate with a hard inside fastball at 98 mph. No show of emotion. Ichiro stood in there for the next fastball and laced it down the first-base line.

First baseman Todd Helton made a nice diving stop, but he had no chance to get up and beat Ichiro to the bag. Johnson, who fell off to the third-base side after the pitch, had even less of an opportunity. His long strides were no match for Ichiro's rapid-fire feet as he beat the Big Unit to the bag by a stride.

But Ichiro, as he had done all season, deflected the glory, preferring to honor his opponent.

"First of all, I'm very honored to face Randy in an All-Star Game, rather than the fact I got a base hit off him," Ichiro said through an interpreter. "Randy is a great pitcher and he was a Mariner and wore No. 51 before me. One of the things I always keep in mind is to keep this No. 51 with good dignity."

Johnson, who said he probably should have thrown a slider to Ichiro, said, "I would like to face Ichiro again, in all honesty. When you get run out there, you throw a couple innings, and as a power pitcher, it is hard to get in a groove right away."

American League Manager Joe Torre said Ichiro's hit "just set the tone for the whole game."

It's just another bridge that Ichiro has crossed in his oceanic transition from Japanese-style baseball to the American game. He has wanted to come here for years to play with the best. He had made a major impact in the first half, hitting .347 with a major-league-leading 134 hits and a league-leading 28 stolen bases.

If there was any doubt he belongs with baseball's best, he put them to rest in his first All-Star Game, the first for a Japanese position player. He was the leading vote-getter in the majors and started in center field.

"That first inning was a very good thing," Mariners teammate Mike Cameron said. "Ichiro was facing Randy Johnson for the first time and, ironically enough, the whole world got a chance to see it here in Safeco."

Viewership was virtually guaranteed. There was a frenzy among the Japanese media before the game to provide their viewers, listeners and subscribers with the perfect image of the man they call Elvis because of his enormous popularity. After batting practice, Ichiro, who rarely signs autographs in mass groups, jogged over to the right-field line to sign for 10 minutes.

Cameramen and photographers scrambled through the media hordes in pursuit. He was immediately surrounded - by 44 journalists - and three security guards and two public-relations representatives intervened.

"I've watched a lot of All-Star Games on TV, and I cannot feel it," Ichiro said. "But today, being in the game, I got a lot of feeling with the whole of my body."