Ichiro had an undeniable career that some consider one of the greatest ever from any player in MLB history.
The phenom from Japan batted a career .311 batting average, wracking up 3,089 hits (25th all-time) and 609 stolen bases (t-35th all-time). Ichiro burst onto the MLB scene in 2001 when he led an All-Star season before being named AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP while taking home his first of 10 Gold Gloves and first of three Silver Slugger Awards, putting together one of the greatest rookie seasons in MLB history.
Ichiro, the first Japanese position player ever in the MLB, still holds the record for most hits in a single season (264), no player since has come close except one - Ichiro three years later with 238 in 2007. The only modern player to even get remotely close was Jose Altuve in 2014 with 225 hits.
His 4,367 hits across his career in Japan and the MLB is the most of any baseball player in the history of the sport. But the craziest feat? Ichiro singled in his first at-bat in the third game of his career, lifting his batting average above .300. Since then, throughout 2,653 games, his batting average never dipped below .300 ever again
Ichiro also became the first MLB player to ever be enshrined in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, or 野球殿堂 (Yakyu Dendo), earlier this year and became the 10th member of the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame in 2022.
From becoming a human highlight reel in the United States to smashing school windows by hitting a baseball in retired life, Ichiro Suzuki, born out of Nishi Kasugai-gun, Japan spent 13 of 19 years with the Seattle Mariners, became a household name for baseball families everywhere. He was a decorated rookie in 2001 then went on to make 10 straight All-Star appearances.
For every young baseball fan out there, you can just search "Ichiro highlights" on YouTube and watch for hours on end. I will always remember replicating his walk-up stance playing Little League. Now, his name will forever be enshrined in a place he often visited - the MLB Hall of Fame. A perfect end to a perfect career for a perfect player - on and off the field.