The Seattle Mariners have not yet been to the playoffs since Ichiro Suzuki led them there in 2001. Now, Seattle is entering this season after winning 90 games and adding stars in the offseason. They are looking to finally put that brutal playoff drought to bed.

The Mariners kicked off their highly anticipated home opener in the coolest way possible: having Suzuki throw the first pitch. In full uniform, the 2001 AL MVP threw a strong fastball to Julio Rodriguez, who represents the team's future.

According to Codify Baseball, Ichiro threw that pitch 84.5 miles per hour. Throwing such heat at 48 years of age after a career as an outfielder is extremely impressive. It isn't totally surprising, as Ichiro recently pitched in a Japanese exhibition game and even pitched an inning at the MLB level with the Miami Marlins.

The Mariners rode the momentum from that awesome first pitch to an 11-1 victory against the Houston Astros. New additions Adam Frazier and Jessie Winker came to play, tallying four and two hits respectively. Frazier recorded four RBIs while Winker added two walks to his stat line.

Seattle will have a tough time making the playoffs in a competitive American League. Their own division could be tough with the Astros, Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers all loading up and looking to make a run to the postseason. Still, they have a solid team in place and the potential to be even better if Rodriguez hits the ground running.