Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki's impressive start to his rookie MLB season on Monday earned him a National League Player of the Week award.
The 27-year-old Japanese last week hit .412 on seven hits in 17 at bats with three homers, five RBIs and five walks in six games. He is the first player from Japan since the Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani in 2018 to win the weekly honor within the first month of his rookie season.
Suzuki on Monday hit safely in his ninth straight game in which he had an at-bat, tying Akinori Iwamura's record for the longest hitting streak to start an MLB career for a Japanese player.
He batted clean up and went 2-for-3 with two runs scored in the Cubs' 4-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Wrigley Field.
"I've been doing well because we've been winning. I'm just working hard and getting lucky with the results," Suzuki said.
"I'm happy (to be named Player of the Week) but it's only been one week. It doesn't mean anything if I can't keep it up."
He singled to left center in the fourth and singled again in the eighth, to shallow right. He also reached base when he was safe at first on a throwing error by shortstop Taylor Walls in the second and he was hit on his elbow pad by a pitch in the seventh.
Iwamura hit in nine straight games to start the 2007 campaign when he played for the Florida-based franchise then known as the Devil Rays. He retired in 2017 after 21 seasons, including four seasons in MLB.
At Minute Maid Park, Shohei Ohtani stretched his hit streak to eight games but the Los Angeles Angels were beaten by the Houston Astros 8-3. Ohtani, who batted leadoff as the designated hitter, went 1-for-3 and was issued his first intentional walk of the season.
Ohtani was the last Japanese major leaguer to be named Player of the Week, a Major League Baseball award given throughout the regular season to the player from each league deemed to have had the most impressive week of play. Ohtani won his fourth Player of the Week Award in July 2021.
Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians was the recipient of the American League Player of the Week Award for April 11-17. He hit .478 with two homers and 11 RBIs.
Suzuki signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the Cubs after playing nine seasons for the Hiroshima Carp in Nippon Professional Baseball. The Cubs also paid an additional $14.625 million posting fee to his former team.
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