The Chicago Cubs moved Seiya Suzuki out of right field and transitioned him to being the primary designated hitter during the latter stages of the 2024 season. Suzuki committed three errors in only 615 innings last season after having three errors in almost twice as many games the year prior. Well, now that Suzuki is serving as the DH and part-time outfielder for the Cubs in 2025, he’s taken extreme measures to motivate himself on defense.
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During Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Marquee Sports Network reporter Elise Menaker noted that Suzuki has two messages written in Japanese on his glove.
“I asked him about it. One said, ‘Absolutely catch it.’ The other said, ‘If you make another error, you’ll be fired.”
“This year he put them on his glove because he made some errors last year. He had three in the outfield. And so he goes, ‘Over the course of a long season, certain moments you’re not locked in and that one moment, that could make or break a play.’ “
Well, so far so good because Suzuki has done a great job filling in for Ian Happ in left field earlier this season and has given Kyle Tucker a breather in right field and still has not made an error in 22 games.
Suzuki has also taken a step forward at the plate, fitting into the run-producer role better than ever before. He’s slashing .261/.318/.529, and although his OBP is down Suzuki is slugging way more. He’s up to 17 home runs in 68 games and is on pace to shatter his career high of 21 home runs with the Cubs that he hit last season.
Suzuki also leads the the Cubs with 58 RBI, which is tied for third most among all MLB players.
Of course, there are still going to be some fans who will never forget Suzuki’s mental lapse at the end of 2023.
