FUKUOKA -- In the first All-Star Game of the post-Ichiro era, the Pacific League stars didn't miss a beat as they routed their Central League counterparts 7-1 before a crowd of 32,000 at the Fukuoka Dome on Saturday night in the opener of the 2001 Sanyo All-Star Series.
With the PL's former top gun now plying his trade in the major leagues, those who worried about where the circuit would find its new bona-fide stars when Ichiro departed for the Seattle Mariners, didn't have to look far as there was a cavalcade of them strutting their stuff on this night.
Little Kazuo Matsui was the biggest star of all, contributing a home run, double and single to the PL cause to walk away with Most Valuable Player honors as the PL ended an eight-game losing streak that dated back to the first game of the 1997 All-Star Series. The teams tied one game in 1998.