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Marlins Ichiro Suzuki and Reds Pete Rose – Evening the Field

By Bobby Mueller

Jun 15, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Marlins center fielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) tips his helmet after hitting his 4257th professional hit with a double against the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 15, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Marlins center fielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) tips his helmet after hitting his 4257th professional hit with a double against the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ichiro Suzuki will remain a Mariner according to Seattle's GM. (Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE)
Ichiro Suzuki will remain a Mariner according to Seattle’s GM. (Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE) /

Ichiro with the Mariners

Ichiro, of course, was an instant success. He led the American League in batting average (.350), hits (242), and steals (56) and made the 2001 All-Star team. His Seattle Mariners tied the all-time mark for wins in a season, finishing with a record of 116-46. Ichiro picked up plenty of hardware at the end of the year, including a Silver Slugger, a Gold Glove, the AL Rookie of the Year award and the AL MVP trophy.

That rookie year was followed by nine straight years with 200 or more hits, nine more all-star games, nine more Gold Gloves, two more Silver Sluggers, and another batting title. His best season was 2004, when he hit .372/.414/.455 and set the single-season record with 262 hits. Over his first 10 seasons, Ichiro had 2,244 hits, scored over 1000 runs, had 383 steals, and a .331/.376/.430 career batting line.

Along the way, Ichiro became a fan favorite in Seattle. He was known for the way he would hold the bat out in front of him with his right arm while adjusting his sleeve with his left. Often times, he would slap the ball to the left side of the field while already starting to run to first base, like a speedy player in fastpitch softball. Other times he would turn on the ball and yank it into the seats. In the outfield, he was constantly bending and stretching. Along with his uncanny ability to put the bat on the ball and knock hits all over the field, he had a rocket for an arm and terrific speed on the bases.

The second week of his first season in the big leagues, Ichiro introduced the world to his incredible arm when he nailed Terrence Long at third base on a ground ball single to right field. Later that year, in his first all-star game, he faced former Mariner, and former wearer of the number 51, Randy Johnson. Ichiro hung in on a Randy Johnson pitch and hit a hard shot to first base, then beat the Big Unit to the bag for a base hit. In the 2007 All-Star Game in San Francisco, Ichiro hit the ball over the head of former Mariner Ken Griffey, Jr. and rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run when the ball ricocheted off the wall and got past Junior. He’s still the only player to ever do this in an All-Star game. Adding to his list of accomplishments, Ichiro had the game-winning hit for the Japanese team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic Final.

In 2011, Ichiro was traded from the Seattle Mariners to the New York Yankees. He was 38 years old and was in the midst of his worst season. After 10 straight years hitting over .300 each year, Ichiro was hitting just .261/.288/.353 in 95 games before the trade. Mariners fans were sad to see him go, but the Mariners were on their way to a 4th place finish and the Yankees were leading the AL East, so Ichiro had a chance to get back to the playoffs, which he hadn’t done since his rookie year.

Next: Ichiro After the Mariners

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