Iya Suzuki said she didn't feel nervous going into Thursday's season opener
He certainly looked calm, calm and collected in the Cubs' 5-4 Opening Day win against the Brewers.
"It was really, really fun," said Suzuki through his interpreter Toy Matsushita. "In all my at-bats, I was able to be myself, so I enjoyed the game today."
Suzuki drew a 1-for-2 draw with a single, two walk, and a strike out when he made his MLB debut. He batted sixth and fielded correctly.
One of the base hits and walks came against Brewers starter and current NL Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burns.
"You don't know what's going on inside, but he looked as cool as he could be," Cubs starter Kyle Hendrix said of Suzuki. “Taking the right pitches, great approach, going to the next guy, taking his walk and getting good swings on good pitches.
"I was super, super impressed by his behavior and his approach, how he took him to bat, it's all."
On the first run, during Suzuki's first major league plate appearance, he trailed 1-2 before pulling a free pass - laying a boundary line 2-2 cutter slightly above the strike zone.
Suzuki said he had never seen a pitch with the same speed and power as the Burns cutter.
"I've come to this level to be able to challenge myself and face pitchers of that ability," Suzuki said. "It's going to take my game to another level. I'm very excited for what I'm doing next."
It was expected that there would be an adjustment period for Suzuki as he gains more experience against big league pitching. He noted different pitching motions and pitch sequences in MLB than in Japan's NPB.
However, he said he has been getting a better feel for the game through his at-bat since spring training, and his manager has noticed.
"Looks like he's getting comfortable with every bat, doesn't he?" David Ross said. "The time has come. It's nice to see him make his first knock, throwing people into the zone.
"It's not an uncontrollable swing when he [swing], and if he has one where he feels like he's out of time, he makes adjustments really quick from what I've seen so far."
In fact, even on the day he got his first big league hit, Suzuki said he was most proud of those two moves.
"When it comes to my bat, I am always conscious of getting to base," he said. "That's something I'm always trying to work on in terms of getting my results."
That doesn't mean he and his teammates didn't celebrate that career-first and achievement. Ross said the Cubs got to the dugout when they won 5-4, it was the loudest.
"It was awesome," Hendrix said. “When he came in everyone was very excited, congratulating him, hugging all around.
"He had a big smile on his face, so a wonderful moment. Something I won't forget. I know he definitely won't."