The outfielder was acquired by the Yankees earlier this week, and he'll get his first taste of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry on Friday night when Boston makes its first trip to New York this season for what will also be Ichiro's first game in the Bronx wearing the Yankees pinstripes.
Ichiro knows the rivalry is one of sports' fiercest, but that's just judging by what he's seen from afar.
"When I watched those games on TV," he said, according to the New York Post. "They looked like fighting, not in a real sense, but physically. It was more like a fighting atmosphere is what I felt watching TV.
"I know there is a lot of tradition. I have just been here a few days. I don't know what to expect."
Like he has against most teams, Ichiro has had success against the Red Sox in the past. He's a .304 career hitter against the Sox with 44 stolen bases. He knows that won't mean anything, though, unless he can do it for the Bombers — something he's eager to attempt.
"I need to prove myself," he said, according to the Post. "When I get there, I have to show them what I can do."
Ichiro has a hit in each one of his three games since being traded to the Yankees.
