Athletes motivate themselves in a variety of different ways. Some use the criticisms of others as fuel for the fire. Others take a more positive route. Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki may have found one of the most unique—and dramatic—ways of motivating himself. Suzuki has two motivational sayings on his glove, written in Japanese, that are amusingly over-the-top, and apparently designed to help him field better.
"...I asked him about it. One said, 'Absolutely catch it.' The other said, 'If you make another error, you'll be fired,' " reported Marquee Sports Network's Taylor McGregor during the Cubs' 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
Seiya Suzuki's glove has two sayings on it:
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 14, 2025
• Absolutely catch it.
• If you make another error, you'll be fired. pic.twitter.com/hcgF7UdolD
So why did Suzuki resort to such, er, drastic measures to motivate himself?
"This year he put them on his glove because he made some errors last year," McGregor continued. "He had three in the outfield. And so he goes, 'Over the course of a long season, certain moments you're not locked in and that one moment, that could make or break a play.' "
Maybe there's a method to the madness when it comes to Suzuki's quirky motivational tactic? The Cubs outfielder has played over 180 innings—and counting—in the outfield thus far in 2025 and has yet to be charged with an error.
Dramatic motivation for the win!
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Seiya Suzuki's Glove Amusingly Features Dramatic Motivational Sayings .
