- CLUTCH Summary: Mostly known for his stint with the Seattle Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki will head to Cooperstown to be in the Hall of Fame without a doubt.
- Arguably the greatest hitter in the history of MLB, no one rivaled his ability to get infield hits.
- In era dominated by steroids and home runs, Ichiro Suzuki might be the last “true hitter” in the history of the sport.
After 18 seasons, Ichiro Suzuki announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Thursday morning, hanging up the cleats at the conclusion of the Seattle Mariners' two-game set against the Oakland A's in Suzuki's home country of Japan.
Ichiro spent the first nine years of his baseball career as a pro with the Orix Blue Wave in the Japan Pacific League. After coming over to the MLB at the age of 27, he became the first player since Fred Lynn to win both the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.
Suzuki would rattle off 10 consecutive seasons with at least 200 hits, including a single-season record of 262 hits in 2004. He was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in each of his first ten seasons, as well.
Ichiro was an extremely quiet and unassuming superstar; he was very stoic in his approach to the hitting craft. And ye, he could do it all at the plate and on the bases, and he made some of the most spectacular plays we have seen from a right fielder.
Here are the five most memorable moments from a Hall of Fame career:
5. Hit no. 3,000
By the time Ichiro was ready to join the MLB's 3,000-hit club in 2016, he had already surpassed Pete Rose for the most professional hits in baseball history. Not to mention, the better part of his career was long in the past, and he had just posted a career-low .229 average in his first year with the Marlins in 2015.
But, in the midst of a post-40s renaissance, Ichiro finally had his chance to reach the 3K plateau in an Aug. 7 matchup against the Colorado Rockies. And, true to form, he delivered with a triple off the right field wall:
Ichiro will finish his career as the active leader with 3,089 hits in the bigs, and will also retire as the active leader in triples (96) and stolen bases (509).
4. The throw
Ichiro's 2001 MVP campaign would eventually come to be regarded be one of the best all-around seasons in recent memory, but he was still a relative unknown when he took the field against the Oakland A's on April 11th, 2001. That would change in a hurry.
In just his eighth MLB game, Suzuki made one of the most memorable throws in baseball history, throwing an absolute laser from right field to nail A's outfielder Terrence Long, who was trying to go first to third on a single.
Ichiro was in the top five in outfield assists five times, and finishes his career as the active leader with 123 outfield assists.
Suzuki also pitched in a game against the Phillies in 2015. There truly was nothing this man could not do.
3. Inside-the-park homer at 2007 All-Star Game
Ichiro was never renowned for his power. One usually does not get that designation when they become famous for their approach as a slap-hitter that angled towards first base before they even made contact with the ball.
But, as with all things, he certainly had his moments. Suzuki finished his career with 117 homers, but this mad dash around the bases at the 2007 All-Star Game in San Francisco was the most exciting play of the Midsummer Classic. Only Ichiro, right?
Ichiro was named the MVP of the game, and his inside-the-parker is still the only home run of its kind in the history of the MLB All-Star Game.
2. Breaking the single-season hit record
George Sisler's hit record was thought to be nearly untouchable. His 257 hits in 1920 had stood for over 83 years, and no player in the modern era–aside from Darin Erstad, who had 240 hits in 2000–had even come close to the mark.
But in just his first season in the MLB, Ichiro tallied 242 hits, which (at the time) was the ninth-most in history. After three consecutive years of at least 200 hits, Suzuki would accomplish the impossible in 2004, arguably his finest offensive season.
On Oct. 1, 2004 in a game against the Texas Rangers, Ichiro became the single-season record holder with hit no. 258:
He would finish the year with 262 hits, a record which is likely to stand the test of time. Ichiro also posted a .372 clip–the best in the league–to go along with a career-high .869 OPS.
1. The final salute
It is somewhat of a shame that Ichiro's insistence on hanging on to the game has led to some baseball fans forgetting just how special and talented he was throughout his Hall of Fame career.
And yet, with the final curtain closing on his career, we were all reminded how much Ichiro has meant to baseball as an icon and soft-spoken legend
When Ichiro departed in the middle of Thursday morning's game against the Oakland A's, he was met with thunderous applause and greeted outside of the dugout by all of his Mariner teammates:
Perhaps no single player has been worthy of so much love and adoration, and it all came out in his final appearance in his home country. A wonderful moment for a wonderful man, player and no doubt future Hall of Fame inductee.
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