Seattle Mariners: Ichiro Suzuki deserves ceremonial first pitch
Arguably the most recognizable name in Seattle Mariners history, Ichiro Suzuki will get the opportunity to be a part of opening day festivities.
The Seattle Mariners cannot get enough of Ichiro Suzuki and rightly so. For the third year in a row and fourteenth out of the last nineteen, Ichiro will be on the field for the Mariners come opening day. This time not as a player, but rather as the person throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
One figures the Mariners didn’t look very far when determining who would receive this honor. By handing Ichiro the ball and sending him to the mound the Mariners made the right call with their selection of people for this great honor.
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Ichiro was a legend during his fourteen-year career with the Mariners. He was an All-Star in his first ten seasons with the team and in each of those seasons, he collected 200 hits, leading the league seven times.
He scored over 100 runs the first eight years and only once in his time with the Mariners did he play in less than 157 games in a season (excluding the year the Mariners traded him to the New York Yankees).
Ichiro is the all-time leader in the history of the Seattle Mariners in hits and stolen bases and ranks in the top five in almost every other offensive category. He was a ten-time Gold Glove award winner and took home the Most Valuable Player Award and Rookie of the Year hardware in his first year with the team.
One could go on and on about the offensive and defensive accolades for Ichiro Suzuki. Even though he spent three years with the Miami Marlins and parts of three seasons with the New York Yankees he’ll forever be known as a Seattle Mariner.
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This living legend may be the special assistant to the chairman of the ball club in the front office, though here is hoping he dons his old uniform, number 51, for the ceremonial first pitch.