After being traded from the Seattle Mariners to the New York Yankees earlier this week, right fielder Ichiro Suzuki found himself days away from joining one of baseball's most heated rivalries.
The 10-time All-Star became its newest member Friday night at Yankee Stadium, where the Yankees and Red Sox opened a three-game set.
The experience, Suzuki told Yahoo! Contributor Network through his interpreter, felt like a dream.
"I was very excited," he said after New York routed Boston 10-3. "My first game at Yankee Stadium [as a Yankee] was against the Boston Red Sox.
"In Japan, you grab your cheek to see if it's real or not, if you're dreaming. That's really how I feel right now."
While Suzuki is still adjusting to his new team, wearing the Yankees pinstripes is nothing new to him.
"I used to have a Yankees uniform as a fan; I wore that in Japan," he said. "Also, in the 2001 All-Star Game, I traded jerseys with Bernie Williams, so I put that on before.
"Obviously it's very special."
Suzuki went 1-for-4 and scored two runs in his Yankees-Red Sox debut. As a Yankee, he is 4-for-16 (doesn't include Saturday's game) with a double and one stolen base.
