Ichiro Suzuki’s enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday will cap one of the most fascinating careers in MLB history.
In 2001, Suzuki, a wispy right fielder from the Orix BlueWave in Kobe, joined the Seattle Mariners, becoming the first Japanese-born position player in MLB. He was the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year in his first season, helping the Mariners win 116 games. Nineteen years later, he finished his career with 3,089 hits, playing his final game at age 45.
The numbers and accolades are only part of what made him great. His devotion to his craft, idiosyncratic methods and dry sense of humor made him a beloved and transformational figure, a rare baseball player known solely by his first name: Ichiro.
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