Ichiro Suzuki
Encyclopedia
, usually known simply as (born October 22, 1973) is a Major League Baseball
right fielder
for the Seattle Mariners
. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262. He had ten consecutive 200-hit seasons, the longest streak by any player, surpassing Wee Willie Keeler's streak of eight.
Ichiro moved to the United States in 2001 after playing nine years for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League
. Posted
by Orix after the 2000 season, Ichiro became Seattle's right fielder. The first Japanese-born
everyday position player
in the major leagues, Ichiro led the AL
in batting average
and stolen bases en route to being named Rookie of the Year
and MVP.
Ichiro is the first MLB player to enter the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (The Golden Players Club)
. He has been voted onto ten All-Star teams by the fans, winning the 2007 All-Star MVP Award
for a three-hit performance that included the event's first-ever inside-the-park home run
. Ichiro has won a Gold Glove award in each of his first ten years in the major leagues, and has had seven hitting streak
s of 20 or more games, with a high of 27.
Ichiro's agent Tony Attanasio described his client's status: "When you mail Ichiro something from the States, you only have to use that name on the address and he gets it [in Japan]. He's that big."
At age seven, Ichiro joined his first baseball team and asked his father, Nobuyuki Suzuki (Suzuki Nobuyuki), to teach him to be a better player. The two began a daily routine which included throwing 50 pitches, fielding 50 infield balls and 50 outfield balls, and hitting 500 pitches, 250 from a pitching machine and 250 from his father.
As a little leaguer, Ichiro had the word written on his glove. By age 12, he had dedicated himself to pursuing a career in professional baseball, and their training sessions were no longer for leisure, and less enjoyable. The elder Suzuki claimed, "Baseball was fun for both of us," but Ichiro later said, "It might have been fun for him, but for me it was a lot like Star of the Giants
," a popular Japanese manga
and anime series about a young baseball prospect's difficult road to success, with rigorous training demanded by the father. According to Ichiro, "It bordered on hazing
and I suffered a lot."
When Ichiro joined his high school baseball team, his father told the coach, "No matter how good Ichiro is, don't ever praise him. We have to make him spiritually strong." When he was ready to enter high school, Ichiro was selected by a school with a prestigious baseball program, Nagoya's Aikodai Meiden Kōkō. Ichiro was primarily used as a pitcher
instead of as an outfielder, owing to his exceptionally strong arm. His cumulative high school batting average was .505, with 19 home runs. He built strength and stamina by hurling car tires and hitting Wiffle balls with a heavy shovel, among other regimens. These exercises helped develop his wrists and hips, adding power and endurance to his thin frame. Despite his outstanding numbers in high school, Ichiro was not drafted until the fourth and final round of the professional draft in November 1991, because many teams were discouraged by his small size of 5 foot and 124 pounds (56.2 kg). (Years later, Ichiro told an interviewer, "I'm not a big guy and hopefully kids could look at me and see that I'm not muscular and not physically imposing, that I'm just a regular guy. So if somebody with a regular body can get into the record books, kids can look at that. That would make me happy.")
, who later won a National league Rookie of the Year Award as a Dodger
, Ichiro was sent back to the farm system on that very day. In 1994, he benefited from the arrival of a new manager, Akira Ōgi, who played him every day in the second spot of the lineup. He was eventually moved to the leadoff spot for the Blue Wave, where his immediate productivity dissolved any misgivings about his unconventional swing. He set a Japanese single-season record with 210 hits, the first player ever to top 200 hits in a single season. (Three players have since done so. Ichiro's record was eventually surpassed in 2010 by former major leaguer Matt Murton
, who had 214 hits in a 144-game season. Ichiro's 210 hits had come in a 130-game season.)
Ichiro's then-Pacific League record .385 batting average won the young outfielder the first of a record seven consecutive batting titles. Ichiro also hit 13 home run
s and had 29 stolen base
s, helping him to earn his first of three straight Pacific League MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards.
It was during the 1994 season that he began to use his given name, "Ichiro", instead of his family name
, "Suzuki", on the back of his uniform. Suzuki is the second most common family name in Japan, and his manager introduced the idea as a publicity stunt to help create a new image for what had been a relatively weak team, as well as a way to distinguish their rising star. Initially, Ichiro disliked the practice and was embarrassed by it; however, "Ichiro" was a household name by the end of the season and he was flooded with endorsement offers.
In 1995 Ichiro led the Blue Wave to their first Pacific League pennant in 12 years. In addition to his second batting title, he led the league with 80 RBI, hit 25 home runs, and stole 49 bases. By this time, the Japanese press had begun calling him the . The following year, with Ichiro winning his third straight MVP award, the team defeated the Central League champion, Yomiuri Giants
, in the Japan Series. Following the 1996 season, playing in an exhibition series against a visiting team of Major League All-Stars kindled Ichiro's desire to travel to the United States to play in the Major Leagues.
In November 1998, Ichiro participated in a seven-game exhibition series between Japanese and American all-stars. Ichiro batted .380 and collected seven stolen bases in the series, winning praise from several of his American counterparts including Sammy Sosa
and Jamie Moyer
(who would become his teammate with the Mariners).
In 2000, Ichiro was still a year away from being eligible for free agency, but the Blue Wave were no longer among Japan's best teams. Because they would probably not be able to afford to keep him, and would lose him without compensation in another year, Orix allowed him to negotiate with Major League clubs. Ichiro used the posting system
, and the Seattle Mariners won the right to negotiate with him with a bid of approximately $13 million. In November, Ichiro signed a three-year, $14 million contract with the Seattle Mariners.
In his nine seasons in Japan, Ichiro had 1,278 hits, a .353 career batting average, and won seven Gold Glove Award
s.
Terrence Long
, who had tried to advance from first to third on a teammate's single to right field. That play would be dubbed "The Throw" by Japanese media covering Ichiro's progress.
After expressing no preference as to a uniform number, Ichiro was issued #51 by the Mariners. He was initially hesitant because it had previously been worn by pitching star Randy Johnson
. To avoid insulting Johnson, Ichiro sent a personal message to the pitcher promising not to “bring shame” to the uniform. His trepidation was unfounded, as he had a remarkable 2001 season, accumulating a rookie-record 242 hits, the most by any MLB player since 1930. His perennial Gold Glove fielding led Safeco's right field to be dubbed "Area 51".
With a .350 batting average and 56 stolen bases, Ichiro was the first player to lead his league in both categories since Jackie Robinson
in 1949. The season included hitting streaks of 25 and 23 games, an appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated
, and intense media attention on both sides of the Pacific. Fans from Japan were taking $2,000 baseball tours, sometimes flying in and out of the U.S. just to watch Ichiro's games. More than 150 Japanese reporters and photographers were given media access. Safeco Field
's sushi stands began selling "Ichirolls".
Aided by Major League Baseball's decision to allow All-Star voting in Japan, Ichiro was the first rookie to lead all players in voting for the All-Star Game
. That winter, he won the American League
Most Valuable Player
and the Rookie of the Year
awards, becoming only the second player in MLB history (after Fred Lynn
) to receive both honors in the same season.
2001 had been an exceptionally successful regular season for the Seattle Mariners as a team, as they matched the 1906 Chicago Cubs
' Major League record of 116 wins. In his first—and to date, only—postseason appearance, Ichiro continued his hot hitting into the playoffs, batting .667 in the ALDS
against the Cleveland Indians
. However, Seattle's stellar season ended against the New York Yankees
in the ALCS
, as Ichiro was held to a .100 average. Yankees manager Joe Torre
had emphasized to his pitchers, "Do not let Ichiro beat you. He is the key to Seattle's offense." Informed of this assessment, Ichiro said, "If that is true, it would give me great joy. I don't believe he is right."
record, that was only good for a third-place finish in the competitive AL West.
2003 was much the same. Ichiro became just the third player in history to begin his career with three 200-hit seasons, by garnering 212 hits. Again, he finished in the top ten for hits, batting average, steals and runs, and again, a late season slump brought his average down almost 40 points (to .312) over the last three months of the season. Ichiro was elected to his third All Star game in three years he has been in the league, where he was again the vote leader in the majors. However, the second-place Mariners again fell short of the playoffs.
Ichiro had his best offensive season to date in 2004, highlighted by his breaking of George Sisler
's 84-year-old record for most hits in a season.
Ichiro recorded 50 hits in four different months of the year (September and October are combined by MLB for this computational purpose), becoming the first player ever to have 4 in a season. With 51 hits in August 2001, Ichiro joined Pete Rose
as the only players with five 50-hit months in a career. On May 21, 2004, Ichiro recorded his 2000th professional hit (US and Japan combined). His 200th hit of 2004 came in just his 126th game. By the end of September, with just one 3-game series remaining, Ichiro's hit total stood at 256—one shy of Sisler.
Ichiro wasted little time, singling off the Rangers
' Ryan Drese
on October 1 to tie Sisler's record. In the third inning, on a 3–2 count, Ichiro singled up the middle for his 258th hit of the year. Mariners announcer Dave Niehaus
' called the moment, which Ichiro later called "the greatest moment of my baseball career":
He was greeted by a swarm of teammates, and a standing ovation from the fans. Sisler's daughter, Francis Sisler Drochelman had attended the game, and was greeted by Ichiro after his hit. Ichiro would finish the 2004 season with a record 262 hits, giving him the single-season records for both the United States and Japanese baseball.
In July 2009, while in St. Louis for his ninth All-Star appearance, Ichiro made a trip to Sisler's grave. He later told reporters, "There’s not many chances to come to St. Louis. In 2004, it was the first time I crossed paths with him, and his family generously came all the way to Seattle. Above all, it was a chance. I wanted to do that for a grand upperclassman of the baseball world. I think it’s only natural for someone to want to do that, to express my feelings in that way. I’m not sure if he’s happy about it."
Between 2001 and 2004, Ichiro had more hits, 924, than anyone in history over any four-year period, breaking the record of 918 that Bill Terry
accumulated between 1929 and 1932. He would later surpass his own mark by recording 930 hits from 2004 to 2007. During one 56-game stretch in 2004, Ichiro batted over .450. By comparison, Joe DiMaggio
batted .408 during his record-setting 56-game hitting streak. Ichiro batted over .400 against left-handed pitching in 2004.
During the off-season, then-manager Bob Melvin
's contract was not extended and the Mariners brought in Mike Hargrove
as the new manager with a contract through 2007. Ironically, it was Hargrove who predicted that Ichiro would be no better than "a fourth outfielder on [an American] major league team" back when Ichiro was still in Japan. Speculation started that Hargrove and Ichiro did not get along very well in the season.
In 2005, Ichiro had his worst year in his MLB career to date, collecting only 206 hits (the lowest total of his career). However, he reached the plateau of a .300 batting average, 100+ runs, 30+ steals and 200+ hits for the fifth straight season. That allowed Ichiro to become the first player to collect 200 hits per season in each of his first five years in the Major Leagues. Only Willie Keeler
, Wade Boggs
, Chuck Klein
, Al Simmons
, and Charlie Gehringer
had had five consecutive 200-hit seasons at any point in their careers. Ichiro hit a career-high 15 home runs. In the off-season, Ichiro played himself in Furuhata Ninzaburō
, a Japanese Columbo-like TV drama that he loves. In the drama, he kills a person and is arrested.
Ichiro played for the Japan national baseball team
in the inaugural World Baseball Classic
in March 2006. During the March 15 Japan-Korea game Ichiro was booed by a few spectators during every at-bat, reportedly in response to a previous statement that he wanted "to beat South Korea so badly, that the South Koreans won't want to play Japan for another 30 years." That, however, was an incorrect translation mostly spread to the public through ESPN. Ichiro was variously quoted as saying "I want to win in a way that the opponent would think, 'we cannot catch up with Japan for the coming 30 years'. We should not merely win the games." Japan would later beat Korea in the playoffs and win the tournament after defeating Cuba in the finals, 10–6. For the tournament, Ichiro had twelve hits including a home run, seven runs, and four stolen bases.
as the best fielding MLB right fielder. Ichiro has worn high stocking baseball pants for every game since the 2006 season.
in 1997. Ichiro broke Tim Raines
' American League record by stealing 41 consecutive bases without being caught. Ichiro extended the record to 45; the major league record of 50 belongs to Vince Coleman
.
On July 10, 2007, he became the first player to hit an inside-the-park home run in any MLB All-Star Game after an unpredictable hop off the right field wall of AT&T Park
in San Francisco. It was the first inside-the-park home run of Ichiro's professional career. Ichiro was a perfect 3-for-3 in the game and was named the Most Valuable Player
in the American League's 5–4 victory.
2007 marked the end of Ichiro's second contract with the Mariners, and he initially told MLB.com that he would likely enter the free agent market, citing the team's lack of success in recent years. However, in July Ichiro signed a five-year contract extension with Seattle. The deal was reported to be worth $90 million, consisting of a $17 million annual salary and $5 million signing bonus.
The Associated Press reported that Ichiro's contract extension defers $25 million of the $90 million at 5.5% interest until after his retirement, with payments through 2032. Other provisions in Ichiro's contract include a yearly housing allowance of more than $30,000, and four first-class round trip tickets to Japan each year for his family. He is provided with either a new Jeep or Mercedes SUV, as well as a personal trainer and interpreter.
On July 29, 2007, Ichiro collected his 1,500th U.S. hit, the third fastest to reach the MLB milestone behind Al Simmons and George Sisler. Ichiro had 213 hits in 2008, his eighth straight 200-hit season. This tied the 107-year-old record set by Wee Willie Keeler. Typically, Ichiro was among baseball's leaders in reaching base on an error (14 times in 2008, more than any other batter in the AL), and in infield hits (his 56 were the most in the majors). Ichiro has amassed more than 450 infield hits in his U.S. career. Detroit third baseman Brandon Inge
told the New York Times, "“I wish you could put a camera at third base to see how he hits the ball and see the way it deceives you. You can call some guys’ infield hits cheap, but not his. He has amazing technique.” In May 2008, Ichiro stole two bases, giving him a career total of 292, surpassing the previous Seattle Mariners team record of 290 set by second baseman Julio Cruz. Cruz, who now does Spanish-language broadcasts of Mariners games, was watching from the broadcast booth as Ichiro broke his record.
On July 29, 2008 Ichiro became the youngest player to amass 3,000 top-level professional hits (1,278 in Japan + 1,722 in the U.S.), surpassing Ty Cobb
. He also became just the second Japanese professional to get 3,000 hits. (Nippon Professional Baseball's record holder is Isao Harimoto
, with 3,085 hits.) Ichiro has 538 stolen bases in his professional career, including 199 in Japan.
By 2008, it had emerged in the media that Ichiro was known within baseball for his tradition of exhorting the American League team with a profanity-laced pregame speech in the clubhouse prior to the MLB All-Star Game. Asked if the speech had had any effect on the AL's decade-long winning streak, Ichiro deadpanned, "I’ve got to say over 90 percent." Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau
describes the effect: "If you’ve never seen it, it’s definitely something pretty funny. It’s hard to explain, the effect it has on everyone. It’s such a tense environment. Everyone’s a little nervous for the game, and then he comes out. He doesn’t say a whole lot the whole time he’s in there, and all of a sudden, the manager gets done with his speech, and he pops off.” Boston's slugger David Ortiz
says simply, "It’s why we win."
's Japanese record for career hits, and Harimoto had been flown out to Seattle to witness the event. Ichiro surpassed the record the following night.
Ichiro was named #30 on the Sporting News 2009 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball, voted upon by a 100-person panel of experts and former stars. In May and June, Ichiro surpassed his own franchise record with a 27-game hitting streak. Ichiro went on to record 44 hits in June 2009, his 20th career month with 40 or more hits. The previous players to have accomplished this were Stan Musial
in the NL and Lou Gehrig
in the AL.
On September 6, Ichiro collected his 2,000th MLB hit on the second pitch of the game, a double along the first base foul line. He is the second-fastest player to reach the milestone, behind Al Simmons
. On September 13 against the Texas Rangers
, Ichiro collected his 200th hit of the season for the ninth consecutive year, setting an all-time major league record. Suzuki recorded 210 hits with Orix in 1994, thereby giving him a total of ten 200 hit seasons in his professional career.
On September 18, Ichiro recorded his first career walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs against Mariano Rivera
. The Mariners were trailing 2–1 with a runner on second when Ichiro hit Rivera's first pitch deep into the right field stands. In the previous game, Ichiro had had a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 14th against the Chicago White Sox
.
On September 26, 2009, Ichiro was ejected from a game for the first time in his professional career. Arguing that a strikeout pitch from Toronto's David Purcey
had been outside, Ichiro used his bat to draw a line on the outer edge of the plate, and was immediately tossed by umpire Brian Runge
. He was the only Mariner to be ejected from a game all season. The ejection may have hurt Ichiro's chances regarding an esoteric record: the longest playing streak without going hitless in consecutive games. Ichiro's stretch was at 180 games, the longest in the majors since Doc Cramer
went 191 consecutive games without back-to-back 0-fers in 1934–35. Ichiro went hitless in the following afternoon's game.
Ichiro again led the majors in hits in 2009, with 225. In spite of hitting ground balls at a rate of 55 percent, he only grounded into one double play all season, in the April 15 opener. He won his second Fielding Bible Award as the best fielding right fielder in MLB.
After playing in the season opener against the Oakland Athletics
, Ichiro became eligible for Hall of Fame
consideration, by playing in his tenth MLB season. On June 5, 2010, Ichiro scored his 1,000th career MLB run against the Angels on Franklin Gutierrez
's RBI groundout. He is the third Mariner in history to reach that milestone. On September 1, 2010, Ichiro also collected his 2,200th hit, a leadoff infield single off of Cleveland Indians
pitcher Josh Tomlin
.
During the August 2010 series against the New York Yankees
, Ichiro traveled to the Calvary Cemetery in Queens
, New York, to pay his respects at the grave of Hall-of-Famer "Wee Willie" Keeler
.
On September 23, Ichiro hit a single to center field off of Toronto Blue Jays
pitcher Shawn Hill
to become the first MLB player in history to reach the 200 hit mark for 10 consecutive seasons. This feat also tied him with Pete Rose
for the most career seasons of 200+ hits, and he surpassed Ty Cobb
for most career seasons of 200+ hits in the AL. He finished the season with 214 hits, topping the MLB in that category. Suzuki also finished the season "ironman" style, playing in all 162 games. Only Ichiro and Matt Kemp
did so for the 2010 season. This was Ichiro's 3rd season playing in all 162 games. Also, Ichiro was nominated for the This Year in Baseball Award. Ichiro has finished first or second in hits in all of his 10 seasons.
Ichiro won his tenth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award
in 2010, tying Ken Griffey Jr., Andruw Jones
and Al Kaline
, and trailing only Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays (twelve each) for major league outfielders. Ichiro also won his second consecutive and third overall Fielding Bible Award for his statistically-based defensive excellence in right field.
did not start Ichiro, ending his then-major league-best active streak of 255 consecutive starts. Ichiro followed with an 11-game hitting streak, but Wedge noted "it's not that easy to give that guy a day off" due to Ichiro's iconic stature. On August 22, Ichiro hit his 35th career leadoff homer, tying him for 6th place with Bobby Bonds
. Ichiro finished the season batting a career-low .272 with 184 hits, the first time in his 11-year MLB career he did not record 200 hits.
, described Ichiro's distinctive style of play:
While he is known for his hitting ability, he does not draw many walks
. In 2004, when he set the single-season record for hits, his low walk total (49) led to him being on base a total of 315 times. It was the 58th-most times a player has reached base in a season and short of the major league record of 379 set by Babe Ruth
in 1923.
Ichiro has a home run batting stroke that he displays in batting practice, but not in games. The New York Times
criticized his inability to improve his power when his Mariner teams were often low-scoring while noting that he also did not steal bases as frequently as Rickey Henderson
or Tim Raines
. Ichiro, however, once commented, "If I'm allowed to hit .220, I could probably hit 40 [home runs], but nobody wants that."
stretching exercises to stay limber even during the middle of the game. Continuing the custom he began in Japan, he uses his given name
on the back of his uniform instead of his family name, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball to do so since Vida Blue
.
In addition to being a ten-time Gold Glove winner, Ichiro is a ten-time All-Star selection from 2001 to 2010. His success has been credited with opening the door for other Japanese players like former Yomiuri Giants slugger Hideki Matsui
, former Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
catcher
Kenji Johjima
, a former teammate in So Taguchi
, and former Seibu Lions
infielder
Kazuo Matsui
to enter the Major Leagues. Ichiro's career is followed closely in Japan, with national television news programs covering each of his at-bats, and with special tour packages arranged for Japanese fans to visit the United States to view his games.
During the 2009 season, it was reported that Ichiro was constantly pranked by fellow Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr.
Ichiro performs in TV commercials in Japan for ENEOS
.
His likeness is used as the basis of the character "Kyoshiro" in the anime and manga Major
.
"The Ichiro Dance" is a Japanese folk dance performed at the annual Bon Odori Festival in Seattle, WA. A local variation of the "Baseball Ondo" folk dance, dancers mimic swinging a bat and running the bases.
Ichiro married , a former TBS TV
announcer, on December 3, 1999 at a small church in Santa Monica
, California. The couple have no children. They have a pet dog (Shiba Inu
) named "Ikkyu", a combination of of "Ichiro" and of "Yumiko", which can be pronounced "kyu" as well. The couple reside in Issaquah
, Washington during the season. According to clips shown at Mariners home games, Ichiro's favorite food is curry rice, and his favorite band is Tokyo Incidents (東京事変, Tōkyō Jihen). On March 18, 2011 Ichiro donated ¥
100 million ($1.25 million) to the Japanese Red Cross
for earthquake and tsunami
relief efforts
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
for the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262. He had ten consecutive 200-hit seasons, the longest streak by any player, surpassing Wee Willie Keeler's streak of eight.
Ichiro moved to the United States in 2001 after playing nine years for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series...
. Posted
Posting system
The is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and the United States' Major League Baseball . Despite the drafting of the United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement in 1967 designed to regulate NPB players moving to MLB, problems...
by Orix after the 2000 season, Ichiro became Seattle's right fielder. The first Japanese-born
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
everyday position player
Position player
In baseball, a position player is a player who on defense plays as an infielder, outfielder, or catcher. This is generally all players on a team except for the pitcher, who is considered separate from the position players; in the American League, there is also a designated hitter, who bats but...
in the major leagues, Ichiro led the AL
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
in batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and stolen bases en route to being named Rookie of the Year
MLB Rookie of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...
and MVP.
Ichiro is the first MLB player to enter the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (The Golden Players Club)
Meikyukai
is one of the two Japanese baseball halls of fame . The Meikyukai is a company ltd. for public benefit.It was founded on July 24, 1978, to honor players born during the Shōwa period...
. He has been voted onto ten All-Star teams by the fans, winning the 2007 All-Star MVP Award
2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 78th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 10, 2007, at AT&T Park, the home of the NL's San Francisco Giants...
for a three-hit performance that included the event's first-ever inside-the-park home run
Inside-the-park home run
In baseball parlance, an inside-the-park home run, "leg home run", or "quadruple", is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of play.-Discussion:...
. Ichiro has won a Gold Glove award in each of his first ten years in the major leagues, and has had seven hitting streak
Hitting streak
In baseball, a hitting streak refers to the number of consecutive official games in which a player gets at least one base hit.According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is ended when a player has at least 1 plate appearance and no hits...
s of 20 or more games, with a high of 27.
Ichiro's agent Tony Attanasio described his client's status: "When you mail Ichiro something from the States, you only have to use that name on the address and he gets it [in Japan]. He's that big."
Early life
As a little leaguer, Ichiro had the word written on his glove. By age 12, he had dedicated himself to pursuing a career in professional baseball, and their training sessions were no longer for leisure, and less enjoyable. The elder Suzuki claimed, "Baseball was fun for both of us," but Ichiro later said, "It might have been fun for him, but for me it was a lot like Star of the Giants
Star of the Giants
is a sports manga written by Ikki Kajiwara and drawn by Noboru Kawasaki. It was adapted as the first sports anime television series broadcast in Japan, in 1968. It later spawned 2 anime sequels and different anime movies....
," a popular Japanese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime series about a young baseball prospect's difficult road to success, with rigorous training demanded by the father. According to Ichiro, "It bordered on hazing
Hazing
Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....
and I suffered a lot."
When Ichiro joined his high school baseball team, his father told the coach, "No matter how good Ichiro is, don't ever praise him. We have to make him spiritually strong." When he was ready to enter high school, Ichiro was selected by a school with a prestigious baseball program, Nagoya's Aikodai Meiden Kōkō. Ichiro was primarily used as a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
instead of as an outfielder, owing to his exceptionally strong arm. His cumulative high school batting average was .505, with 19 home runs. He built strength and stamina by hurling car tires and hitting Wiffle balls with a heavy shovel, among other regimens. These exercises helped develop his wrists and hips, adding power and endurance to his thin frame. Despite his outstanding numbers in high school, Ichiro was not drafted until the fourth and final round of the professional draft in November 1991, because many teams were discouraged by his small size of 5 foot and 124 pounds (56.2 kg). (Years later, Ichiro told an interviewer, "I'm not a big guy and hopefully kids could look at me and see that I'm not muscular and not physically imposing, that I'm just a regular guy. So if somebody with a regular body can get into the record books, kids can look at that. That would make me happy.")
Career in Japan
Ichiro made his Pacific League debut in 1992 at the age of 18, but he spent most of his first two seasons in the farm system because his then- baseball manager, Shōzō Doi, refused to accept Ichiro's unorthodox swing. The swing was nicknamed because of the pendulum-like motion of his leg, which shifts his weight forward as he swung the bat, and goes against conventional hitting theory. Even though he hit a home run off Hideo NomoHideo Nomo
is a former right-handed pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball from Japan. He achieved early success in Japan, where he played with the Kintetsu Buffaloes from to...
, who later won a National league Rookie of the Year Award as a Dodger
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, Ichiro was sent back to the farm system on that very day. In 1994, he benefited from the arrival of a new manager, Akira Ōgi, who played him every day in the second spot of the lineup. He was eventually moved to the leadoff spot for the Blue Wave, where his immediate productivity dissolved any misgivings about his unconventional swing. He set a Japanese single-season record with 210 hits, the first player ever to top 200 hits in a single season. (Three players have since done so. Ichiro's record was eventually surpassed in 2010 by former major leaguer Matt Murton
Matt Murton
Matthew Henry Murton is an outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan...
, who had 214 hits in a 144-game season. Ichiro's 210 hits had come in a 130-game season.)
Ichiro's then-Pacific League record .385 batting average won the young outfielder the first of a record seven consecutive batting titles. Ichiro also hit 13 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and had 29 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s, helping him to earn his first of three straight Pacific League MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards.
It was during the 1994 season that he began to use his given name, "Ichiro", instead of his family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
, "Suzuki", on the back of his uniform. Suzuki is the second most common family name in Japan, and his manager introduced the idea as a publicity stunt to help create a new image for what had been a relatively weak team, as well as a way to distinguish their rising star. Initially, Ichiro disliked the practice and was embarrassed by it; however, "Ichiro" was a household name by the end of the season and he was flooded with endorsement offers.
In 1995 Ichiro led the Blue Wave to their first Pacific League pennant in 12 years. In addition to his second batting title, he led the league with 80 RBI, hit 25 home runs, and stole 49 bases. By this time, the Japanese press had begun calling him the . The following year, with Ichiro winning his third straight MVP award, the team defeated the Central League champion, Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
, in the Japan Series. Following the 1996 season, playing in an exhibition series against a visiting team of Major League All-Stars kindled Ichiro's desire to travel to the United States to play in the Major Leagues.
In November 1998, Ichiro participated in a seven-game exhibition series between Japanese and American all-stars. Ichiro batted .380 and collected seven stolen bases in the series, winning praise from several of his American counterparts including Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
and Jamie Moyer
Jamie Moyer
Jamie Moyer is an American professional left handed baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. At the time of his last game to date , he was the oldest player in the major leagues and had the most wins, losses, and strikeouts of any active Major League pitcher...
(who would become his teammate with the Mariners).
In 2000, Ichiro was still a year away from being eligible for free agency, but the Blue Wave were no longer among Japan's best teams. Because they would probably not be able to afford to keep him, and would lose him without compensation in another year, Orix allowed him to negotiate with Major League clubs. Ichiro used the posting system
Posting system
The is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and the United States' Major League Baseball . Despite the drafting of the United States – Japanese Player Contract Agreement in 1967 designed to regulate NPB players moving to MLB, problems...
, and the Seattle Mariners won the right to negotiate with him with a bid of approximately $13 million. In November, Ichiro signed a three-year, $14 million contract with the Seattle Mariners.
In his nine seasons in Japan, Ichiro had 1,278 hits, a .353 career batting average, and won seven Gold Glove Award
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
s.
2001 season
Ichiro's move to the United States was viewed with some interest because he was the first Japanese position player to play for a Major League Baseball team. In the same way that many Japanese teams had considered the 18-year-old Ichiro too small to draft in 1992, many in the US believed he would prove too frail to succeed against Major League pitching or endure the longer 162-game season. Ichiro made an auspicious debut his first week with Seattle, and revealed his tremendous throwing arm by gunning down Oakland'sOakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
Terrence Long
Terrence Long
Terrence Deon Long is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball. Long batted and threw left-handed....
, who had tried to advance from first to third on a teammate's single to right field. That play would be dubbed "The Throw" by Japanese media covering Ichiro's progress.
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....
. To avoid insulting Johnson, Ichiro sent a personal message to the pitcher promising not to “bring shame” to the uniform. His trepidation was unfounded, as he had a remarkable 2001 season, accumulating a rookie-record 242 hits, the most by any MLB player since 1930. His perennial Gold Glove fielding led Safeco's right field to be dubbed "Area 51".
With a .350 batting average and 56 stolen bases, Ichiro was the first player to lead his league in both categories since Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
in 1949. The season included hitting streaks of 25 and 23 games, an appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, and intense media attention on both sides of the Pacific. Fans from Japan were taking $2,000 baseball tours, sometimes flying in and out of the U.S. just to watch Ichiro's games. More than 150 Japanese reporters and photographers were given media access. Safeco Field
Safeco Field
Safeco Field is a retractable roof baseball stadium located in Seattle, Washington. The stadium, owned and operated by the Washington-King County Stadium Authority, is the home stadium of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball and has a seating capacity of 47,878 for baseball...
's sushi stands began selling "Ichirolls".
Aided by Major League Baseball's decision to allow All-Star voting in Japan, Ichiro was the first rookie to lead all players in voting for the All-Star Game
2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 72nd playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 10, 2001 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington, home of the...
. That winter, he won the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Most Valuable Player
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
and the Rookie of the Year
MLB Rookie of the Year Award
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is annually given to one player from each league as voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America . The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946...
awards, becoming only the second player in MLB history (after Fred Lynn
Fred Lynn
Fredric Michael "Fred" Lynn is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels , Baltimore Orioles , Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres .Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame...
) to receive both honors in the same season.
2001 had been an exceptionally successful regular season for the Seattle Mariners as a team, as they matched the 1906 Chicago Cubs
1906 Chicago Cubs season
The Chicago Cubs season was a season in American baseball. The team won the National League pennant with a record of 116-36, a full 20 games ahead of the second-place New York Giants. The team's 116 wins is still the most by any team in National League history...
' Major League record of 116 wins. In his first—and to date, only—postseason appearance, Ichiro continued his hot hitting into the playoffs, batting .667 in the ALDS
2001 American League Division Series
-New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics:-Game 1, October 9:Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington-Game 2, October 11:Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington-Game 3, October 13:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio-Game 4, October 14:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio...
against the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. However, Seattle's stellar season ended against the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the ALCS
2001 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 17, 2001 at Safeco Field in Seattle, WashingtonGame 1's starting date was the latest ever for a League Championship series. The Yankees took a 1–0 lead on a Chuck Knoblauch single that scored Jorge Posada in the second, then increased it to 3–0 on a Paul O'Neill home run...
, as Ichiro was held to a .100 average. Yankees manager Joe Torre
Joe Torre
Joseph Paul Torre is a former American professional baseball player and manager who currently serves as Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the...
had emphasized to his pitchers, "Do not let Ichiro beat you. He is the key to Seattle's offense." Informed of this assessment, Ichiro said, "If that is true, it would give me great joy. I don't believe he is right."
2002 and 2003 seasons
Ichiro finished his second year in American baseball with 208 total hits, making him the first Mariners player ever to hit two consecutive seasons with 200+ hits. He got off to a hot start in 2002, but a late-season slump drove his batting average down to .321, 29 points below his batting average as a rookie. He was the 6th player in MLB history to start a career with two 200-hit seasons. Ichiro finished the season second in the AL in hits, 4th in batting average, and 4th in steals. Ichiro led the major league All-Star balloting for the second straight year. Although the Mariners had a 93–692002 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 2002 season was their 26th since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 3rd in the American League West, finishing with a record of 93-69.-Offseason:...
record, that was only good for a third-place finish in the competitive AL West.
2003 was much the same. Ichiro became just the third player in history to begin his career with three 200-hit seasons, by garnering 212 hits. Again, he finished in the top ten for hits, batting average, steals and runs, and again, a late season slump brought his average down almost 40 points (to .312) over the last three months of the season. Ichiro was elected to his third All Star game in three years he has been in the league, where he was again the vote leader in the majors. However, the second-place Mariners again fell short of the playoffs.
Record-setting 2004 season
George Sisler
George Harold Sisler , nicknamed "Gentleman George" and "Gorgeous George," was an American professional baseball player for 15 seasons, primarily as first baseman with the St. Louis Browns...
's 84-year-old record for most hits in a season.
Ichiro recorded 50 hits in four different months of the year (September and October are combined by MLB for this computational purpose), becoming the first player ever to have 4 in a season. With 51 hits in August 2001, Ichiro joined Pete Rose
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
as the only players with five 50-hit months in a career. On May 21, 2004, Ichiro recorded his 2000th professional hit (US and Japan combined). His 200th hit of 2004 came in just his 126th game. By the end of September, with just one 3-game series remaining, Ichiro's hit total stood at 256—one shy of Sisler.
Ichiro wasted little time, singling off the Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
' Ryan Drese
Ryan Drese
Ryan Thomas Drese is an American professional baseball pitcher currently in the Houston Astros organization. He is a graduate of the University of California Berkeley and Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California....
on October 1 to tie Sisler's record. In the third inning, on a 3–2 count, Ichiro singled up the middle for his 258th hit of the year. Mariners announcer Dave Niehaus
Dave Niehaus
David Arnold Niehaus was an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League's Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in until his death after the 2010 season. In 2008, the National Baseball Hall of Fame awarded Niehaus with the Ford C. Frick Award, the...
' called the moment, which Ichiro later called "the greatest moment of my baseball career":
- "And a ground ball back up the middle! And there it is! He's the new all time hit king in major league history, number two-five-eight! My oh my!"
He was greeted by a swarm of teammates, and a standing ovation from the fans. Sisler's daughter, Francis Sisler Drochelman had attended the game, and was greeted by Ichiro after his hit. Ichiro would finish the 2004 season with a record 262 hits, giving him the single-season records for both the United States and Japanese baseball.
In July 2009, while in St. Louis for his ninth All-Star appearance, Ichiro made a trip to Sisler's grave. He later told reporters, "There’s not many chances to come to St. Louis. In 2004, it was the first time I crossed paths with him, and his family generously came all the way to Seattle. Above all, it was a chance. I wanted to do that for a grand upperclassman of the baseball world. I think it’s only natural for someone to want to do that, to express my feelings in that way. I’m not sure if he’s happy about it."
Between 2001 and 2004, Ichiro had more hits, 924, than anyone in history over any four-year period, breaking the record of 918 that Bill Terry
Bill Terry
William Harold Terry was a Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Terry was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954. In 1999, he ranked number 59 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee...
accumulated between 1929 and 1932. He would later surpass his own mark by recording 930 hits from 2004 to 2007. During one 56-game stretch in 2004, Ichiro batted over .450. By comparison, Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
batted .408 during his record-setting 56-game hitting streak. Ichiro batted over .400 against left-handed pitching in 2004.
2005 season
Bob Melvin
Robert Paul Melvin is the manager of the Oakland Athletics, and a former Major League Baseball catcher.During a 10-year playing career, he played from 1985–94 for seven different teams...
's contract was not extended and the Mariners brought in Mike Hargrove
Mike Hargrove
Dudley Michael Hargrove is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. He is currently employed as an advisor with the Cleveland Indians....
as the new manager with a contract through 2007. Ironically, it was Hargrove who predicted that Ichiro would be no better than "a fourth outfielder on [an American] major league team" back when Ichiro was still in Japan. Speculation started that Hargrove and Ichiro did not get along very well in the season.
In 2005, Ichiro had his worst year in his MLB career to date, collecting only 206 hits (the lowest total of his career). However, he reached the plateau of a .300 batting average, 100+ runs, 30+ steals and 200+ hits for the fifth straight season. That allowed Ichiro to become the first player to collect 200 hits per season in each of his first five years in the Major Leagues. Only Willie Keeler
Willie Keeler
William Henry Keeler in Brooklyn, New York, nicknamed "Wee Willie", was a right fielder in professional baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League.- Biography :Keeler's...
, Wade Boggs
Wade Boggs
Wade Anthony Boggs is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
, Chuck Klein
Chuck Klein
Charles Herbert "Chuck" Klein was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates ....
, Al Simmons
Al Simmons
Aloysius Harry Simmons , born Aloisius Szymanski in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was an American baseball player. He played for two decades in the major leagues as an outfielder, and had his best years as a member of Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics during the 1930's...
, and Charlie Gehringer
Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer , nicknamed “The Mechanical Man,” was a German-American Major League Baseball second baseman who played 19 seasons for the Detroit Tigers...
had had five consecutive 200-hit seasons at any point in their careers. Ichiro hit a career-high 15 home runs. In the off-season, Ichiro played himself in Furuhata Ninzaburō
Furuhata Ninzaburo
is a Japanese television series that ran periodically on Fuji Television from 1994 until its final episodes in 2006. It was written by Japanese playwright Koki Mitani and being known as the Japanese's version of Columbo....
, a Japanese Columbo-like TV drama that he loves. In the drama, he kills a person and is arrested.
Inaugural World Baseball Classic
Japan national baseball team
The Japan national baseball team is the national baseball team representing Japan in international competitions. They are one of the more successful baseball teams in the world, having won the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009...
in the inaugural World Baseball Classic
2006 World Baseball Classic
---------Pool B:-------------Pool C:-------------Pool D:-------------Pool 1:-----------------Pool 2:-------------Finals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Final standings:...
in March 2006. During the March 15 Japan-Korea game Ichiro was booed by a few spectators during every at-bat, reportedly in response to a previous statement that he wanted "to beat South Korea so badly, that the South Koreans won't want to play Japan for another 30 years." That, however, was an incorrect translation mostly spread to the public through ESPN. Ichiro was variously quoted as saying "I want to win in a way that the opponent would think, 'we cannot catch up with Japan for the coming 30 years'. We should not merely win the games." Japan would later beat Korea in the playoffs and win the tournament after defeating Cuba in the finals, 10–6. For the tournament, Ichiro had twelve hits including a home run, seven runs, and four stolen bases.
2006 season
Ichiro's 2006 season got off to an unexpected start, with the outfielder hitting as low as .177 in the season's third week. He quickly rebounded, finishing the season with a .322 average (6th in the AL and 11th in the Majors). Ichiro's 224 hits led the majors, and he recorded 110 runs and 45 stolen bases. Remarkably, Ichiro was only caught stealing twice in 2006, for a 96% success rate. His 1,354 career U.S. hits topped Wade Boggs' record for the most hits in any six-year period. In his sixth year in the majors, Ichiro collected his sixth Gold Glove Award, and a sixth All-Star Game selection. He also won a Fielding Bible AwardFielding Bible Award
A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each fielding position in Major League Baseball based on statistical analysis. John Dewan and Baseball Info Solutions conduct the annual selection process...
as the best fielding MLB right fielder. Ichiro has worn high stocking baseball pants for every game since the 2006 season.
2007–2008 seasons
In May and June, Ichiro hit in 25 consecutive games, breaking the previous Seattle Mariners record set by Joey CoraJoey Cora
Jose Manuel Cora Amaro was a baseball player known as "The Rooster" with an 11 year career in the MLB spanning the years 1987 and 1989-1998. He played for the San Diego Padres of the National League and the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians of the American League...
in 1997. Ichiro broke Tim Raines
Tim Raines
Timothy Raines , nicknamed "Rock", is a former American professional baseball player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball for six teams from 1979 to 2002 and was best known for his 13 seasons with the Montreal Expos...
' American League record by stealing 41 consecutive bases without being caught. Ichiro extended the record to 45; the major league record of 50 belongs to Vince Coleman
Vince Coleman
Vincent Maurice Coleman is an American former Major League Baseball player, best known for his years with the St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily a left fielder, Coleman played from to and set a number of stolen base records. He was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.-Biography:Coleman attended...
.
On July 10, 2007, he became the first player to hit an inside-the-park home run in any MLB All-Star Game after an unpredictable hop off the right field wall of AT&T Park
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
in San Francisco. It was the first inside-the-park home run of Ichiro's professional career. Ichiro was a perfect 3-for-3 in the game and was named the Most Valuable Player
Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVP Award
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award given to the most outstanding player in each year's MLB All-Star Game. Awarded each season since , it was originally called the "Arch Ward Memorial Award" in honor of Arch Ward, the man who...
in the American League's 5–4 victory.
2007 marked the end of Ichiro's second contract with the Mariners, and he initially told MLB.com that he would likely enter the free agent market, citing the team's lack of success in recent years. However, in July Ichiro signed a five-year contract extension with Seattle. The deal was reported to be worth $90 million, consisting of a $17 million annual salary and $5 million signing bonus.
The Associated Press reported that Ichiro's contract extension defers $25 million of the $90 million at 5.5% interest until after his retirement, with payments through 2032. Other provisions in Ichiro's contract include a yearly housing allowance of more than $30,000, and four first-class round trip tickets to Japan each year for his family. He is provided with either a new Jeep or Mercedes SUV, as well as a personal trainer and interpreter.
Brandon Inge
Charles Brandon Inge is an American professional baseball infielder for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed....
told the New York Times, "“I wish you could put a camera at third base to see how he hits the ball and see the way it deceives you. You can call some guys’ infield hits cheap, but not his. He has amazing technique.” In May 2008, Ichiro stole two bases, giving him a career total of 292, surpassing the previous Seattle Mariners team record of 290 set by second baseman Julio Cruz. Cruz, who now does Spanish-language broadcasts of Mariners games, was watching from the broadcast booth as Ichiro broke his record.
On July 29, 2008 Ichiro became the youngest player to amass 3,000 top-level professional hits (1,278 in Japan + 1,722 in the U.S.), surpassing Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
. He also became just the second Japanese professional to get 3,000 hits. (Nippon Professional Baseball's record holder is Isao Harimoto
Isao Harimoto
Isao Harimoto is a Korean former Nippon Professional Baseball player and holder of the record for most hits in the Japanese professional leagues. An ethnic Korean, his birth name is Jang Hun...
, with 3,085 hits.) Ichiro has 538 stolen bases in his professional career, including 199 in Japan.
By 2008, it had emerged in the media that Ichiro was known within baseball for his tradition of exhorting the American League team with a profanity-laced pregame speech in the clubhouse prior to the MLB All-Star Game. Asked if the speech had had any effect on the AL's decade-long winning streak, Ichiro deadpanned, "I’ve got to say over 90 percent." Minnesota first baseman Justin Morneau
Justin Morneau
Justin Ernest George Morneau is a Canadian Major League Baseball first baseman for the Minnesota Twins. At 6 feet 4 inches and 225 lbs, Morneau was originally drafted as a catcher by the Twins in 1999. He converted to first base in the minor leagues and made his MLB debut in 2003...
describes the effect: "If you’ve never seen it, it’s definitely something pretty funny. It’s hard to explain, the effect it has on everyone. It’s such a tense environment. Everyone’s a little nervous for the game, and then he comes out. He doesn’t say a whole lot the whole time he’s in there, and all of a sudden, the manager gets done with his speech, and he pops off.” Boston's slugger David Ortiz
David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...
says simply, "It’s why we win."
2009 World Baseball Classic
Despite struggling uncharacteristically during most of the tournament, Ichiro provided the game-winning hit in the Championship game against South Korea. With two outs in the top of the tenth inning, he broke a 3–3 tie with a two-run single. This would prove to be the margin of victory in Japan's 5–3 defeat of South Korea. Ichiro ended the night 4-for-6, and is now 6-for-10 in WBC championship games.2009 season
In his first game of the 2009 season, Ichiro went 2-for-5 against the Angels, including a grand slam for his 3,085th career hit. The home run matched Isao HarimotoIsao Harimoto
Isao Harimoto is a Korean former Nippon Professional Baseball player and holder of the record for most hits in the Japanese professional leagues. An ethnic Korean, his birth name is Jang Hun...
's Japanese record for career hits, and Harimoto had been flown out to Seattle to witness the event. Ichiro surpassed the record the following night.
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...
in the NL and Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig , nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability, was an American Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 17-year baseball career for the New York Yankees . Gehrig set several major league records. He holds the record for most career grand slams...
in the AL.
On September 6, Ichiro collected his 2,000th MLB hit on the second pitch of the game, a double along the first base foul line. He is the second-fastest player to reach the milestone, behind Al Simmons
Al Simmons
Aloysius Harry Simmons , born Aloisius Szymanski in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was an American baseball player. He played for two decades in the major leagues as an outfielder, and had his best years as a member of Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics during the 1930's...
. On September 13 against the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, Ichiro collected his 200th hit of the season for the ninth consecutive year, setting an all-time major league record. Suzuki recorded 210 hits with Orix in 1994, thereby giving him a total of ten 200 hit seasons in his professional career.
On September 18, Ichiro recorded his first career walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs against Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian right-handed baseball pitcher who has played 17 years in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Nicknamed "Mo", Rivera has served as a relief pitcher for most of his career, and since 1997, he has been the Yankees' closer...
. The Mariners were trailing 2–1 with a runner on second when Ichiro hit Rivera's first pitch deep into the right field stands. In the previous game, Ichiro had had a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 14th against the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
.
On September 26, 2009, Ichiro was ejected from a game for the first time in his professional career. Arguing that a strikeout pitch from Toronto's David Purcey
David Purcey
David Kent Purcey is a left-handed pitcher in professional baseball.-Amateur career:Purcey attended high school at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas, and then attended the University of Oklahoma, where he played for the Sooners baseball team.-Professional career:Purcey originally was...
had been outside, Ichiro used his bat to draw a line on the outer edge of the plate, and was immediately tossed by umpire Brian Runge
Brian Runge
Brian Edward Runge is an umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked in the National League in 1999 and throughout both major leagues since 2000. He wears uniform number 18. He has worked in the 2004 and 2007 American League Division Series...
. He was the only Mariner to be ejected from a game all season. The ejection may have hurt Ichiro's chances regarding an esoteric record: the longest playing streak without going hitless in consecutive games. Ichiro's stretch was at 180 games, the longest in the majors since Doc Cramer
Doc Cramer
Roger Maxwell Cramer [Doc] was an American center fielder and left-handed batter in Major League Baseball who played for four American League teams from 1929 to 1948.-Career:...
went 191 consecutive games without back-to-back 0-fers in 1934–35. Ichiro went hitless in the following afternoon's game.
Ichiro again led the majors in hits in 2009, with 225. In spite of hitting ground balls at a rate of 55 percent, he only grounded into one double play all season, in the April 15 opener. He won his second Fielding Bible Award as the best fielding right fielder in MLB.
2010 season
Ichiro's 32 career leadoff home runs rank 9th all time. Nevertheless, in 2009, Ichiro told the New York Times:- "Chicks who dig home runs aren’t the ones who appeal to me. I think there’s sexiness in infield hits because they require technique. I’d rather impress the chicks with my technique than with my brute strength. Then, every now and then, just to show I can do that, too, I might flirt a little by hitting one out.”
After playing in the season opener against the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, Ichiro became eligible for Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
consideration, by playing in his tenth MLB season. On June 5, 2010, Ichiro scored his 1,000th career MLB run against the Angels on Franklin Gutierrez
Franklin Gutiérrez
Franklin Rafael Gutiérrez , nicknamed "Guti" & "Death To Flying Things", is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the Seattle Mariners...
's RBI groundout. He is the third Mariner in history to reach that milestone. On September 1, 2010, Ichiro also collected his 2,200th hit, a leadoff infield single off of Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
pitcher Josh Tomlin
Josh Tomlin
Joshua Aubry Tomlin is a Major League Baseball pitcher, Tomlin plays for the Cleveland Indians.-Career:...
.
During the August 2010 series against the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, Ichiro traveled to the Calvary Cemetery in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York, to pay his respects at the grave of Hall-of-Famer "Wee Willie" Keeler
Willie Keeler
William Henry Keeler in Brooklyn, New York, nicknamed "Wee Willie", was a right fielder in professional baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League.- Biography :Keeler's...
.
On September 23, Ichiro hit a single to center field off of Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
pitcher Shawn Hill
Shawn Hill
Shawn Richard Hill is a Canadian Major League Baseball pitcher in the Florida Marlins organization...
to become the first MLB player in history to reach the 200 hit mark for 10 consecutive seasons. This feat also tied him with Pete Rose
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
for the most career seasons of 200+ hits, and he surpassed Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
for most career seasons of 200+ hits in the AL. He finished the season with 214 hits, topping the MLB in that category. Suzuki also finished the season "ironman" style, playing in all 162 games. Only Ichiro and Matt Kemp
Matt Kemp
Matthew Ryan "Matt" Kemp is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers.Kemp was drafted by the Dodgers in the 6th round of the 2003 draft and made his major league debut in 2006...
did so for the 2010 season. This was Ichiro's 3rd season playing in all 162 games. Also, Ichiro was nominated for the This Year in Baseball Award. Ichiro has finished first or second in hits in all of his 10 seasons.
Ichiro won his tenth consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award
Rawlings Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
in 2010, tying Ken Griffey Jr., Andruw Jones
Andruw Jones
Andruw Rudolf Jones is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is a free agent.Jones made his debut during the 1996 season. In the 1996 World Series, Jones became the youngest player to ever homered in the postseason...
and Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
, and trailing only Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays (twelve each) for major league outfielders. Ichiro also won his second consecutive and third overall Fielding Bible Award for his statistically-based defensive excellence in right field.
2011 season
On April 2, 2011 Ichiro broke the Seattle Mariners' all-time career hits record with his 2,248th hit in the 9th inning versus the Oakland Athletics, overtaking the team's previous leader Edgar Martinez. 2011 marked the first time in Ichiro's 11 seasons that he failed to make the all star team. He batted under .300 (.277) before the all star break for the first time in his career. On July 10, manager Eric WedgeEric Wedge
Eric Michael Wedge is a Major League Baseball manager and former catcher, and is the current manager of the Seattle Mariners. As a player, Wedge attended Northrop High School in Fort Wayne and played on the school's state champion baseball team in 1983...
did not start Ichiro, ending his then-major league-best active streak of 255 consecutive starts. Ichiro followed with an 11-game hitting streak, but Wedge noted "it's not that easy to give that guy a day off" due to Ichiro's iconic stature. On August 22, Ichiro hit his 35th career leadoff homer, tying him for 6th place with Bobby Bonds
Bobby Bonds
Bobby Lee Bonds was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball from to , primarily with the San Francisco Giants...
. Ichiro finished the season batting a career-low .272 with 184 hits, the first time in his 11-year MLB career he did not record 200 hits.
Playing style
Sportswriter Bruce Jenkins, writing in the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, described Ichiro's distinctive style of play:
- "There's nobody like Ichiro in either league—now or ever. He exists strictly within his own world, playing a game 100 percent unfamiliar to everyone else. The game has known plenty of 'slap' hitters, but none who sacrifice so much natural ability for the sake of the art... Ichiro, a man of wondrous strength, puts on impressive power-hitting displays almost nightly in batting practice. And he'll go deep occasionally in games, looking very much like someone who could do it again, often... [but] the man lives for hits, little tiny ones, and the glory of standing atop the world in that category. Every spring, scouts or media types write him off, swearing that opposing pitchers have found the key, and they are embarrassingly wrong."
While he is known for his hitting ability, he does not draw many walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
. In 2004, when he set the single-season record for hits, his low walk total (49) led to him being on base a total of 315 times. It was the 58th-most times a player has reached base in a season and short of the major league record of 379 set by Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
in 1923.
Ichiro has a home run batting stroke that he displays in batting practice, but not in games. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
criticized his inability to improve his power when his Mariner teams were often low-scoring while noting that he also did not steal bases as frequently as Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henley Henderson is a former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed The Man of Steal, he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner...
or Tim Raines
Tim Raines
Timothy Raines , nicknamed "Rock", is a former American professional baseball player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball for six teams from 1979 to 2002 and was best known for his 13 seasons with the Montreal Expos...
. Ichiro, however, once commented, "If I'm allowed to hit .220, I could probably hit 40 [home runs], but nobody wants that."
Personality and influence
Ichiro is noted for his work ethic in arriving early for his team's games, and for his calisthenicCalisthenics
Calisthenics are a form of aerobic exercise consisting of a variety of simple, often rhythmical, movements, generally using multiple equipment or apparatus. They are intended to increase body strength and flexibility with movements such as bending, jumping, swinging, twisting or kicking, using...
stretching exercises to stay limber even during the middle of the game. Continuing the custom he began in Japan, he uses his given name
Japanese name
in modern times usually consist of a family name , followed by a given name. "Middle names" are not generally used.Japanese names are usually written in kanji, which are characters of usually Chinese origin in Japanese pronunciation...
on the back of his uniform instead of his family name, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball to do so since Vida Blue
Vida Blue
Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...
.
In addition to being a ten-time Gold Glove winner, Ichiro is a ten-time All-Star selection from 2001 to 2010. His success has been credited with opening the door for other Japanese players like former Yomiuri Giants slugger Hideki Matsui
Hideki Matsui
is a Japanese Major League Baseball designated hitter and outfielder. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.After playing the first ten seasons of his career for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, he played the next seven seasons, from 2003–2009, for the New York...
, former Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Kenji Johjima
Kenji Johjima
is a Japanese catcher who is currently playing for the Hanshin Tigers. He played in Major League Baseball for four years with the Seattle Mariners in the American League....
, a former teammate in So Taguchi
So Taguchi
is a Nippon Professional Baseball outfielder who is currently playing with the Orix Buffaloes. Previously, he has played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs in Major League Baseball, and with the Orix BlueWave in Nippon Professional Baseball.Taguchi is the first...
, and former Seibu Lions
Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based west of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Prince Hotels, which in turn is owned by the Seibu Group...
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
Kazuo Matsui
Kazuo Matsui
is a Japanese second baseman for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball. Matsui is a switch-hitter...
to enter the Major Leagues. Ichiro's career is followed closely in Japan, with national television news programs covering each of his at-bats, and with special tour packages arranged for Japanese fans to visit the United States to view his games.
During the 2009 season, it was reported that Ichiro was constantly pranked by fellow Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr.
Ichiro performs in TV commercials in Japan for ENEOS
Nippon Oil
The , or NOC or Shin-Nisseki is a Japanese petroleum company. Its businesses include the exploration, importation, and refining of crude oil; the manufacture and sale of petroleum products, including fuels and lubricants; and other energy-related activities.Its products are sold under the brand...
.
His likeness is used as the basis of the character "Kyoshiro" in the anime and manga Major
Major (manga)
Major is a sports manga series by Takuya Mitsuda. It has been serialized in Shōnen Sunday and has been collected in 78 tankōbon volumes...
.
"The Ichiro Dance" is a Japanese folk dance performed at the annual Bon Odori Festival in Seattle, WA. A local variation of the "Baseball Ondo" folk dance, dancers mimic swinging a bat and running the bases.
Personal life
The Japanese name "Ichiro" is often written 一郎, meaning "first son". Ichiro's name, however, is written with a different character, 一朗, so that his name roughly means "brightest, most cheerful". He has an elder brother, Kazuyasu Suzuki, who is a fashion designer.Ichiro married , a former TBS TV
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
announcer, on December 3, 1999 at a small church in Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, California. The couple have no children. They have a pet dog (Shiba Inu
Shiba Inu
The is the smallest of the six original and distinct breeds of dog from Japan.A small, agile dog that copes very well with mountainous terrain, the Shiba Inu was originally bred for hunting. It is similar in appearance to the Akita, though much smaller in stature...
) named "Ikkyu", a combination of of "Ichiro" and of "Yumiko", which can be pronounced "kyu" as well. The couple reside in Issaquah
Issaquah, Washington
Issaquah is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 30,434 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, Issaquah ranks 25th of 522 areas in the State of Washington to be ranked....
, Washington during the season. According to clips shown at Mariners home games, Ichiro's favorite food is curry rice, and his favorite band is Tokyo Incidents (東京事変, Tōkyō Jihen). On March 18, 2011 Ichiro donated ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
100 million ($1.25 million) to the Japanese Red Cross
Japanese Red Cross
The ' is the Japanese affiliate of the International Red Cross.The Imperial Family of Japan traditionally has supported the society, with Empress as Honorary President and other royal family members as vice-presidents. Its headquarters is located in Tokyo and local chapters are set up in all 47...
for earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
relief efforts
Humanitarian response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan received messages of condolence and offers of assistance from a range of international leaders. According to Japan's foreign ministry, 116 countries and 28 international organizations had offered assistance to Japan...
.
Career Statistics (MLB)
| Yr. | Team Current Major League Baseball franchises Below is the information about the current Major League Baseball Franchise, including game times, team colors, etc.-Organizational Alignment:The Commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig, has often floated the idea of international expansion and realignment of the major leagues... | Lg | G Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,... | AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance... | R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... | H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... | 2B Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... | 3B Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... | HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... | RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... | SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... | CS Caught stealing In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder while making the attempt... | BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08... | SO Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters.... | BA Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... | OBP On base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes... | SLG | |TB Total bases In baseball statistics, total bases refers to the number of bases a player has gained with hits, i.e., the sum of his hits weighted by 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run.Only bases attained from hits count toward this total.... | |HBP Hit by pitch In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:... | SH Sacrifice hit In baseball, a sacrifice bunt is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball in a manner that allows a runner on base to advance to another base. The batter is almost always sacrificed but sometimes reaches base due to an error or fielder's choice... | SF Sacrifice fly In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield.... | IBB Intentional base on balls In baseball, an intentional base on balls, usually referred to as an intentional walk and denoted in baseball scorekeeping by IBB, is a walk issued to a batter by a pitcher with the intent of removing the batter's opportunity to swing at the pitched ball... |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 2011 Seattle Mariners season The Seattle Mariners season was the 35th season in franchise history. Their last playoff appearance was Ten Years ago.-Coaching changes:Daren Brown, the Seattle Mariners interim manager during the 2010 season, stated that he had interest in returning as the full-time manager in 2011... |
Seattle Mariners | AL | 115 | 481 | 58 | 129 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 30 | 5 | 30 | 43 | .268 | .310 | .314 | .624 | 151 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Totals | 11 seasons | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1,659 | 7,075 | 1,092 | 2,373 | 271 | 73 | 90 | 579 | 401 | 92 | 479 | 707 | .320 | .374 | .426 | .800 | 3,013 | 49 | 47 | 28 | 30 | 162 |
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players with a career .330 batting average
- List of Major League Baseball players with 2000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball hit records
Further reading
- Allen, Jim. Ichiro Magic. New York: Kodansha America, 2001. ISBN 4-7700-2871-
- Christopher, Matt, and Glenn Stout. At the Plate With... Ichiro. New York: Little, Brown, 2003. ISBN 0-316-13679-4.
- Dougherty, Terri. Ichiro Suzuki. ?: Checkerboard Books, 2003. ISBN 1-59197-483-6.
- Komatsu, Narumi, and Philip Gabriel. Ichiro on Ichiro: Conversations with Narumi Komatsu. Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2004. ISBN 1-57061-431-8.
- Leigh, David S. Ichiro Suzuki. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century Books, 2004. ISBN 0-8225-1792-2.
- Levin, Judith. Ichiro Suzuki. New York: Chelsea House Publications, 2007. ISBN 0-7910-9440-5.
- Rappoport, Ken. Super Sports Star Ichiro Suzuki. Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Enslow Elementary, 2004. ISBN 0-7660-2137-8.
- Rosenthal, Jim. Ichiro's Art of Playing Baseball: Learn How to Hit, Steal, and Field Like an All-Star. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2006. ISBN 0-312-35831-8.
- Savage, Jeff. Ichiro Suzuki. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2003. ISBN 0-8225-1344-7.
- Savage, Jeff. Ichiro Suzuki, revised ed. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2007. ISBN 0-8225-7266-4.
- Shields, David. "Baseball Is Just Baseball": The Understated Ichiro: An Unauthorized Collection Compiled by David Shields. Seattle: TNI Books, 2001. ISBN 0-9678703-1-3.
- Stewart, Mark. Ichiro Suzuki: Best in the West. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, 2002. ISBN 0-7613-2616-2.
- Whiting, Robert. The Meaning of Ichiro: The New Wave from Japan and the Transformation of Our National Pastime. Warner Books, 2004; retitled for the 2005 paperback to The Samurai Way of Baseball: The New Wave from Japan and the Transformation of Our National Pastime. ISBN 0-446-53192-8, ISBN 0-446-69403-7.
External links
- "The Ichiro Paradox", S.L. Price, TIMETime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine, July 8, 2002 - "Collecting Ichiro" Non-profit site with comprehensive coverage of Ichiro collectibles, especially sports cards.
- "Ichiro Suzuki Fan" A non-profit fan site on Ichiro Suzuki from the Seattle Mariners.
- THE GOLDEN PLAYERS CLUB