SEATTLE — Max Clark had already played in three major-league games before his first real pinch-me moment.That first series was in Sacramento, the temporary home of the Athletics, in a glorified Triple-A ballpark. Tuesday, though, Clark stepped onto the field and saw the third deck at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park. He took in the sights and the scenery. He even witnessed Ichiro, a childhood hero, shagging balls on the field.While Tigers manager A.J. Hinch worked on arranging a meeting with the Seattle Mariners legend who still hangs around the team, staff members helped Clark get Ichiro to sign a jersey. Wednesday afternoon, Clark turned around at his locker and dug out the jersey. He showed it off, his face beaming in disbelief.“That was the first time I was like, ‘Oh, this is the big leagues,’” Clark said. “You see a huge stadium, and in center field it’s just Ichiro tracking balls down. It was unbelievable.”Did the Tigers get enough back for Tarik Skubal?Eno Sarris and Derek VanRiperClark says he wore No. 51 growing up. His older brother, Mason, was an Ichiro fan, so young Max followed suit. The fact Clark is now wearing No. 15, the inverse of Ichiro’s number, is merely coincidence. But now maybe Clark will stick with it.Clark’s favorite player was and still is Bryce Harper. Clark first met Harper during a spring training game two years ago. Clark was standing on first base when Harper said, ‘What’s up, Max?’”“I responded with his name,” Clark said. “I literally go, ‘Bryce Harper.’ That was the end of it. … It was a little rough for me.”Clark envisioned his meeting with Ichiro going better.“Hopefully, this time when I meet Ichiro, I can be like, ‘Hi, I’m Max,’” Clark said.Those are the moments that can transfix even the most confident of young players in the major leagues. The first few days are so often a tornado. You get the call that changes everything. You make haphazard travel arrangements for you and your family. You play games on the biggest stage and do your best to be undaunted by the lights and the emotions. One moment, you’re grinding away in the minor leagues. The next, you’re coming up to bat and Cal Raleigh is congratulating you on your call-up.In Clark’s case, there was an added layer to all of this. His early days in the major leagues happened to coincide with a trade deadline that saw the Tigers make the biggest deal in the sport, sending Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers, then trading Casey Mize to the San Diego Padres.“It was a nightmare,” Clark said. “But it was a good one at the same time. We lost Casey. We lost Skub. Those guys were awesome to me. I’m not going to act like I’m an expert on the deadline and the clubhouse because I wasn’t in here and it’s not my place. But it was cool of them to be a part of something for me even if it was two games and 15 in the spring.”Clark has introduced himself to Tigers fans in impressive fashion. For as much attention as there has been on Max Clark the personality, we’re learning a lot about Max Clark the player.Tuesday night, Dominic Canzone hit a high ball to shallow center field. On the mound, Troy Melton tracked it through the air.“It just seemed to keep going,” Melton said. “I was like, ‘Man, this thing is gonna fall.’”In center field, Clark charged in. He reached a top speed of 30.1 feet per second. He kept running. Finally, he slid and made the catch. He covered 120 feet in the process.