Hi Messrs. ＆ Mses. Japanophiles. how are you doing? We are shocked to hear that our legend baseball star “Ichiro” ‘s retirement but we can’t help admiring his remarkable achievement.
Who’s “Ichiro”, then?
He is modest, so he doesn’t boast himeself but we are definitely proud that his illustrious career with 4,367 hits between Japan and the U.S., the most brilliant player in history.
Ichiro Suzuki, born October 22, 1973, often referred to mononymously as Ichiro, is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played 28 seasons combined in top-level professional leagues.
He spent the bulk of his career with two teams: nine seasons with the Orix Blue Wave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan, where he began his career, and 14 with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States.
After playing the first 12 years of his MLB career for the Mariners, Ichiro played two and a half seasons with the New York Yankees before signing with the Miami Marlins. Ichiro played three seasons with the Marlins before returning to the Mariners in 2018.
Ichiro established a number of batting records, including MLB’s single-season record for hits with 262. He achieved 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons, the longest streak by any player in history.
Between his major league career in both Japan and the United States, Ichiro has the most hits by any player in top-tier professional leagues. He also has recorded the most hits of all Japanese born players in MLB history.
In his combined playing time in NPB and MLB, Ichiro received 17 consecutive selections both as an All-Star and Gold Glove winner, won nine league batting titles and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) four times.
While playing in NPB, he won seven consecutive batting titles and three consecutive Pacific League MVP Awards. In 2001, Ichiro became the first Japanese-born position player to be posted and signed to an MLB club.
He led the American League (AL) in batting average and stolen bases en route to being named AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP.
Ichiro was the first MLB player to enter the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (The Golden Players Club).
He was a ten-time MLB All-Star and won the 2007 All-Star Game MVP Award for a three-hit performance that included the event’s first-ever inside-the-park home run.
Ichiro won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in each of his first ten years in the majors, and had an American League–record seven hitting streaks of 20 or more games, with a high of 27.
He is also noted for his longevity, continuing to produce at a high level with batting, slugging, and on-base percentages above .300 in 2016 while approaching 43 years of age.
In 2016, Ichiro notched the 3,000th hit of his MLB career, off Chris Rusin of the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, becoming only the 30th player ever to do so. In total he finished with 4,367 hits in his professional career across Japan and the United States.
Hot cheers from his fans
Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners returns to the field for fans at Tokyo Dome after the second game of the season-opening series against the Oakland Athletics on March 21, 2019. The Mariners announced the star outfielder’s retirement
“He is my hero. I began playing baseball because I wanted to be like him,” said Mitsuaki Kadoya, 29, who came to watch the Seattle Mariners’ game against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome. “I wanted him to play longer. But now I feel like praising his longtime work.”
The news of the 45-year-old player’s retirement broke during the game and most of the spectators learned of it through their smartphones. One of them raised a board with the message “Thank you Ichiro.”
“I’m shocked as I expected he would play until he turned 50,” said another fan, Misao Ishikawa, 69. “I always watched him on television. I’m really happy that I was able to see him (at the stadium).”
Koji Okumura, 46, who was a member of the team’s staff when Ichiro played for Japan’s then Orix BlueWave, said, “It’s really regrettable. But I want to thank him. I learned a lot from him.” Okumura added, “I want him to be a manager of a major league team.”
Takeshi Nakamura, 76, who taught Ichiro on the baseball team of Aikodai Meiden High School in Aichi Prefecture, said, “I hope he will pass on his experience to next generations as a coach.”
The news also made an impact on people in Ichiro’s hometown of Toyoyama in Aichi.
“It’s sad. But this is not the end of his commitment to baseball. I hope he will continue to lead baseball both in Japan and the United States,” said Iwao Maeda, 79, who manages a batting practice cage where Ichiro trained in his boyhood.
“He has long been a star in my generation,” said former teammate Tomohiro Kawamura, 45. “I won’t be able to see him play at 50. But I want to thank him for his hard work.”
We thank you for Ichiro’s superb performance for a long time,
Have a good rest!
