He gently places the silver case on the carpet of the Miami Marlins’ clubhouse, then clicks the fasteners and lifts the lid. You know what is inside, but this is Ichiro Suzuki, still a bit mysterious after all these years. You half expect the contents to glow, like the briefcase in “Pulp Fiction,” a movie released more than two decades ago, in a year Suzuki hit .385.
Inside the case are eight Mizuno bats, four on the bottom rack and four on the top, alternating directions, like pairs of shoes fresh from the box.