The New York Yankees were eliminated from the American League Championship Series on Thursday as Ichiro Suzuki went hitless in three at-bats in an 8-1 defeat to the Detroit Tigers in Game 4.
The Yankees were swept in a postseason series for the first time since the 1980 ALCS.
"There's no sense at all that we should have done more to achieve the desired results," said Ichiro, who was acquired by the Yankees in a July trade after 11 1/2 seasons with the Seattle Mariners.
"But from the standpoint of the final results we were capable of much more. It is natural for this team to feel destined to reach the World Series at the very least," he said.
"You always want to have your best players on the field, but it (injuries) is part of the game,"added Ichiro, who finished the ALCS 6-for-17 and had a homer that helped tie Game 1 in the ninth inning in New York. "To lose this way, to be swept, is pathetic."
"There are certain things you can only experience with this team. Before coming here from Seattle, I spent a lot of my time feeling isolated. However, I think that time spent battling in my own way made me stronger," he said.