JAWS and the 2025 Corridor of Fame Poll: Ichiro Suzuki

The next article is a part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing take a look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2025 Corridor of Fame poll. For an in depth introduction to this yr’s poll, and different candidates within the collection, use the software above; an introduction to JAWS might be discovered right here. All WAR figures confer with the Baseball-Reference model until in any other case indicated.

In a house run-saturated period, Ichiro Suzuki stood out. Earlier than coming stateside, the slightly-built famous person earned the moniker the “Human Batting Machine” from Japanese media, and he hardly missed a beat upon arriving in Seattle in 2001, slapping singles and doubles to all fields in such prolific style that he started his main league profession by reeling off a document 10 straight 200-hit seasons. Alongside the way in which, he set a single-season document with 262 hits in 2004, and regardless of not debuting till age 27, he surpassed the three,000-hit milestone. Between Nippon Skilled Baseball and Main League Baseball, he totaled 4,367 hits, making him the Worldwide Hit King — a comparability that rankled some, together with the Hit King himself, Pete Rose.

Regardless of his small stature (listed at 5-foot-11, 175 kilos), Suzuki was bigger than life, an athlete on a first-name foundation with two continents filled with followers. Sporting “Ichiro” on the again of his jersey — his supervisor’s thought of a promotional gimmick — he constructed his legend in Japan by profitable seven straight batting titles (1994–2000) and three straight MVP awards for the Orix Blue Wave, whom he led to a Japan Sequence championship in 1996. When he joined the Mariners, he confronted widespread skepticism about whether or not his type of play would translate, as a result of whereas NPB star Hideo Nomo had loved appreciable success with the Dodgers upon arriving in 1995, no Japanese place participant had made the transition to MLB earlier than. The Mariners — who throughout the earlier two years had shed superstars Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., and Alex Rodriguez from their squad — received Suzuki’s rights and signed him, however his struggles in his first spring coaching precipitated supervisor Lou Piniella concern. But all of it labored out, and in spectacular style. Suzuki led the AL with a .350 batting common, received Rookie of the Yr and MVP honors whereas serving to the Mariners to a document 116 wins, and started 10-year streaks of All-Star alternatives and Gold Glove awards.

All of this performed out throughout a time when sabermetricians downplayed the worth of batting common relative to on-base and slugging percentages. Like Derek Jeter, Suzuki was extra a fan favourite than a stathead one, although his extra contributions on the bases and in proper subject helped him rank third amongst all place gamers for that decade-long stretch with 54.8 WAR, trailing solely Albert Pujols (81.4) and Rodriguez (71.5). However Suzuki wasn’t simply concerning the numbers. Beneath his near-religious devotion to routine burned a aggressive fireplace that was offset by a sly humorousness, each of which featured copious portions of f-bombs that have been hardly misplaced in translation, to listen to others inform the tales.

Together with his eligibility for election to the Corridor of Fame delayed for a yr by his two-game cameo in Tokyo in 2019, Suzuki is lastly on the poll, and the query isn’t whether or not he’ll be elected however whether or not he’ll grow to be the primary place participant to take action unanimously. (Mariano Rivera was the primary pitcher to take action, on the 2019 poll.) Odds are that he’ll merely accept a stratospheric share of the vote, however regardless of the way it performs out, you may anticipate to see him in Cooperstown — already a spot with which he’s fairly acquainted as a consequence of quite a few previous visits — come subsequent July.

Ichiro Suzuki was born on October 22, 1973, in Nichi Kasugai-gun, Japan, a suburb of Nagoya, the nation’s third-largest metropolis. He’s the youthful of two youngsters of Nobuyuki and Yoshie Suzuki. Nobuyuki, who himself pitched in highschool, taught his son the sport at an early age, albeit in a rigorous means that ultimately scarred their relationship. From ESPN’s Wright Thompson in 2018:

When Ichiro was 3, Nobuyuki purchased him his first glove, fabricated from shiny leather-based. It value two weeks’ wage. Nobuyuki taught his son to scrub and polish it fastidiously. It wasn’t a toy, he mentioned. It was a software. He taught his right-handed son to hit lefty, to realize a number of additional steps out of the batter’s field. They went to a close-by park, day by day the identical: 50 pitches, 200 soft-toss swings and 50 fungo drills. At evening, they went to a batting cage close to the Nagoya airport and Ichiro would take 250 to 300 swings on a pitching machine. They did this 12 months a yr. Typically it bought so chilly that younger Ichiro couldn’t button his shirt, his fingers too stiff to work. In elementary college, he wrote in an essay that he performed with different youngsters solely two or three days a yr. As soon as Ichiro didn’t need to apply baseball. He needed to run round along with his pals, so he defiantly sat down in the course of the sector. A livid Nobuyuki began throwing baseballs at his son, however Ichiro’s quick reflexes allowed him to keep away from them. Ones aimed immediately for his face he simply caught.

“Ichiro began this life in third grade and hasn’t stopped,” Thompson added, noting that Suzuki informed creator Robert Whiting that his father’s habits “bordered on little one abuse.” Between that and his father’s mismanagement of his son’s funds, the 2 are apparently estranged.

Lacking from Thompson’s description of the grueling practices is that the younger Suzuki constructed energy in his wrists and honed his unorthodox stroke by swinging a coal shovel. From a 1994 Washington Put up article by T.R. Reid, performed at a degree when Suzuki was a 20-year-old hitting .385 for the Orix Blue Wave:

It was in his college days that Ichiro began swinging the large coal shovel for apply, a drill that has had a transparent impact on his swing. As analyzed advert infinitum within the sports activities media right here this summer season, Ichiro’s shovel-trained swing is likely one of the quickest ever recorded. He will get the bat round in .18 seconds, about twice as quick as the typical batter, in response to a examine by the NHK community. Meaning he has extra time to look over the pitch and determine the place it’s headed.

… Ichiro does all this from a unusually contorted batting stance that’s hardly poetry in movement. Through the pitcher’s windup, Ichiro picks up his entrance leg and swings it like a protracted, gradual pendulum again towards the catcher. Thus he’s nearly tottering on one foot, weight far again, bat cocked, because the pitch approaches the plate.

Rising up, Suzuki pitched in addition to hit. After starring at his junior highschool, he had a selection of whether or not to go to a top-ranked educational highschool or a top-ranked baseball one; he selected the latter, Aikodai Meiden Kokko. He lived within the dormitory 11 months out of the yr, and as an underclassman needed to endure hours of menial “character-building” chores as a method of instilling the right humility and respect. Solely the highest 17 of his college’s 51 gamers have been granted each day apply, an exhausting coaching routine that ran from 3:30 to eight:00 p.m., and after a dinner break resumed with particular batting apply at 9:00 p.m.

In keeping with Whiting, Suzuki hit .502 with 19 homers, 131 steals, and simply 10 strikeouts (none swinging) in 536 at-bats over his three-year highschool profession. As a pitcher he confirmed an distinctive fastball and a great curve, however a motorbike accident compromised his kind. He led Meiden to the distinguished Koshien nationwide highschool match twice.

Although he confirmed off a preternatural cool along with his bodily items and robust performances, Suzuki slipped to the fourth and ultimate spherical within the November 1991 skilled draft out of considerations for his dimension (then 5-foot-9 and 120 kilos). The Kobe-based Orix Blue Wave of the Japan Pacific League selected him, and signed him with a bonus of $43,000. Suzuki spent a lot of the 1992 and ’93 seasons with Orix’s farm workforce within the Japan West League, with batting averages of .366 and .371, however he additionally performed 83 video games for the large membership, with disappointing outcomes (.253/.276/.305 in 95 PA in ’92, .188/.212/.266 in 64 PA in ’93). Orix supervisor Shozo Doi — already unpopular as a substitute for Corridor of Fame supervisor Toshiharu Ueda — didn’t imagine Suzuki’s pendulum leg-swing would work within the majors, however when he ordered him to alter, a defiant Suzuki refused.

He would get the final giggle. Doi was fired after the 1993 season, changed by Akira Ōgi, a real believer who not solely positioned Suzuki within the beginning lineup however dreamed up a gimmick that caught. As an alternative of sporting “Suzuki” on the again of his jersey – as frequent a surname as Smith within the U.S. — he would put on “Ichiro,” a transfer that was cleared with the commissioner’s workplace in spring coaching. “Stunned, to say the least, Suzuki, who was 20, had little leverage to protest,” wrote the New York Instances’ Brad Lefton in 2009.

“At first, I wasn’t joyful about it in any respect,” Suzuki informed Lefton. “Individuals laughed wherever we might go, and that actually bothered me. However as I mirror again on it now, the experiences of that season offered my basis and lend great help to what I’m doing as we speak.”

Suzuki was sensational, hitting .385/.445/.550 with 13 homers and 29 steals whereas changing into the primary participant to succeed in 200 hits in an NPB season, which on the time was simply 130 video games; he completed with 210. His efficiency not solely kicked off streaks of seven consecutive batting titles, All-Star appearances, Gold Gloves, and Greatest 9 alternatives from 1994–2000, however he received the primary of three straight Pacific League MVP awards.

Over that seven-season span, Suzuki hit a mixed .353/.421/.522 whereas averaging 17 house runs and 28 stolen bases. He set profession highs with 25 homers and 49 steals in 1995 whereas serving to Orix to its first JPL pennant in 12 years; the Blue Wave misplaced to the Yakult Swallows, the Japan Central League champions, that yr however beat the Yomiuri Giants in 1996 for his or her first championship in franchise historical past.

The 1996 season included another notable occasions. For one, Suzuki took a activate the mound to shut out the NPB All-Star sport, touching 90 mph along with his fastball (additionally notice the Hideki Matsui cameo):

After the season, Suzuki participated within the MLB Japan All-Star Sequence for the primary time, taking part in in opposition to future Corridor of Famers Pedro Martinez, Mike Piazza, Cal Ripken Jr., Ivan Rodriguez, in addition to Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds. Additionally on the MLB workforce was Nomo, the 1995 NL Rookie of the Yr and the primary Japanese participant to realize stardom within the U.S. “The joy I felt in that collection was positively a turning level. As an alternative of simply one thing I admired from afar, the majors grew to become a set aim of mine,” he later mentioned within the 2002 ebook Ichiro on Ichiro.

After hitting .380 in opposition to main leaguers within the collection two years later, Suzuki drew reward from Mariners pitcher Jamie Moyer for his bat management and his velocity, although U.S. squad skipper Mike Hargrove, who praised his throwing arm, mentioned he envisioned him as a fourth outfielder, calling him, “A slap hitter who can run.” Suzuki started to overtly muse about taking part in in MLB nonetheless.

By this level, Japanese pitchers Hideki Irabu and Shigetoshi Hasegawa had adopted in Nomo’s footsteps, establishing themselves within the majors. In the meantime, the Mariners have been making inroads with Suzuki. Former main leaguer Jim Colborn, who served as Orix’s pitching coach from 1990–93, grew to become the Mariners’ scouting coordinator for the Pacific Rim. He introduced Suzuki jerseys of Griffey, his favourite participant, and when the appropriate fielder got here stateside to shoot tv commercials, hosted him at his Ventura, California house, and threw batting apply to him at close by faculty fields. By 1999, the Mariners and Blue Wave had expanded an current working settlement to permit Orix gamers to work out on the Mariners’ spring coaching camp in Peoria. Shagging balls alongside Jay Buhner, Suzuki turned some heads along with his throws.

With a squad centered round no. 1 picks Griffey (1987) and Rodriguez (1993) in addition to future Corridor of Famers Johnson and Edgar Martinez, the Mariners made the playoffs for the primary time of their 18-year historical past in 1995, and did so once more in ’97. They couldn’t afford to maintain the band collectively, nonetheless. On the 1998 deadline, they traded Johnson, a pending free agent, to the Astros for infielder Carlos Guillén and pitchers Freddy Garcia and John Halama (because the participant to be named later). In February 2000, they dealt Griffey to the Reds for a four-player package deal headlined by Mike Cameron. They received the AL Wild Card and superior to the ALCS earlier than shedding to the Yankees in 2000, then braced themselves to lose Rodriguez to free company; he would signal a record-setting 10-year, $252 million take care of the Rangers in late January 2001.

Below worldwide guidelines, Suzuki wasn’t presupposed to be eligible to come back to MLB till attaining free company following the 2001 season, however with the Blue Wave involved they couldn’t afford to retain him, within the fall of 2000 they allowed him to undergo the recently-revised posting system, by which MLB groups bid in a silent public sale to find out the extent of compensation for a participant’s workforce in the event that they signed him. Colborn had satisfied new basic supervisor Pat Gillick to pursue Suzuki aggressively, and Gillick in flip persuaded principal proprietor Hiroshi Yamauchi, a Nintendo chairman who loved seeing Suzuki play in Japan, to get onboard. Envisioning him as their leadoff hitter and on a regular basis proper fielder, the Mariners received his rights with a $13.125 million bid, then signed him to a three-year, $14 million contract in late November 2000.

Suzuki didn’t make an ideal first impression throughout spring coaching, too typically grounding weakly to the left facet. Teammates have been involved he appeared overmatched. In keeping with the Seattle Instances’ Larry Stone in 2011, the turning level got here throughout one Cactus League sport:

“He was hitting to left subject lots, and so they have been actually shading him over, taking part in him virtually like a right-handed pull hitter,” Piniella mentioned. “I informed him he wanted to tug the ball, and he mentioned, No drawback. The following at-bat, he hit one out of the park to proper and mentioned, ‘Are you content now?’

“I informed Ichiro, ‘You are able to do no matter you need the remainder of the yr.’”

Suzuki went 2-for-5 in opposition to the A’s on Opening Day, accumulating late-inning singles in opposition to T.J. Mathews and Jim Mecir after starter Tim Hudson had retired him thrice. 4 days later, he went 4-for-6 in a 10-inning sport, bookending the hit parade with a double off Rick Helling within the first and a decisive two-run homer off Jeff Zimmerman within the tenth. On April 11, after getting into a sport in opposition to the A’s as a pinch-hitter, he made “The Throw,” a laser beam from proper subject to 3rd base to retire Terrence Lengthy making an attempt to advance on a single. “Ichiro threw one thing out of Star Wars down there!” shouted exuberant broadcaster Dave Niehaus.

Suzuki was off to the races, his mannerisms and his play on the plate, on the bases, and within the subject standing out. Favoring contact over energy — a selection that will gas infinite hypothesis concerning the form of his manufacturing — and capable of go to all fields, he examined opposing defenses as a result of he appeared to position the ball at will. “They’d the left fielder on the left-field line, they’d the third baseman virtually shaking palms with him, they’d the infield midway in, had the second baseman pulled generally—you noticed each protection that you could possibly see,” mentioned bench coach John McLaren. “[Ichiro] held that bat up like a magic wand, like, ‘What will we bought right here?’”

Suzuki shortly grew to become a fan favourite, the primary rookie to steer the majors in All-Star votes. Coincidentally, the All-Star Sport itself was set for Seattle; Suzuki opened the underside of the primary with a single off Johnson, by this level the ace of the Diamondbacks.

Except for a tepid July, Suzuki stayed scorching all season. He collected his two hundredth hit on August 28, within the Mariners’ 132nd sport, and completed with 242, fueling a .350/.381/.457 (126 OPS+) line. His batting common and 56 stolen bases each led the league, whereas his 7.4 WAR ranked fourth. With second baseman Bret Boone delivering an 8.8-WAR profession yr, Martinez providing his typical brilliance on the plate, and Garcia posting a league-best 3.05 ERA, the Mariners surpassed the 114-win 1998 Yankees, ending with 116 wins.

Not like these Yankees, nonetheless, the Mariners couldn’t parlay common season brilliance right into a championship. They have been pushed to the brink by Cleveland within the Division Sequence, shedding two out of the primary three video games, however profitable in 5; Suzuki had three three-hit video games and tied Martinez’s Division Sequence document (from 1995 in opposition to the Yankees) of 12 hits whereas batting .600/.619/.650. Within the ALCS, the Yankees cooled him off and eradicated the Mariners in 5 video games.

After the season, Suzuki took house an armful of awards, beginning with a Gold Glove and his first of three Silver Sluggers. He got here inside one vote of a unanimous win for Rookie of the Yr; one author tabbed CC Sabathia, who’s additionally debuting on this poll. Suzuki then edged reigning AL MVP winner Jason Giambi for the honors, becoming a member of Fred Lynn (1975) as the one gamers to win each awards in the identical season.

The Mariners dropped to 93 wins and third place within the four-team AL West in 2002, after which 93 wins and second in ’03. Suzuki carried out properly, however not fairly as much as his rookie stage. He recorded 208 hits and a .321/.388/.425 (120 OPS+) slash line with eight homers, 31 steals, and three.6 WAR in his sophomore season, and 212 hits and a .312/.352/.436 (112 OPS+) with 13 homers, 34 steals, and 5.6 WAR in his third yr. After the 2003 season, he signed a four-year, $44 million extension.

On the 2002 All-Star Sport, Suzuki confirmed off a aggressive spirit and humorousness that started a practice for the AL squad, one by which he’d at all times get the final phrase in a pregame assembly. From a 2021 oral historical past at The Athletic:

Randy Winn, Mariners teammate: That is 2002. I’m on the All-Star Sport and Joe Torre is the supervisor. Joe brings us all in and says one thing very good, very skilled, very Joe Torre, very even and monotone… After he finishes, he goes, “All proper, Ichiro, what do it’s important to say?” I used to be like, “Wow, why is he calling Ichiro? Of all folks to say one thing …”

Jim Leyland, Tigers supervisor: The entire sudden he pops up: “Let’s kick their fucking fats asses.”

… Rick Griffin, Mariners coach: By the point we bought to 2010, he’d added a number of extra strains to it and had added some extra F-bombs.

The underside fell out for the Mariners in 2004 as they plummeted to 63-99. Nearly every part went improper — every part besides their star proper fielder. Although he began slowly (.255/.309/.304 in April), he posted batting averages of .400 or larger in Might, July, and August, and hit a jaw-dropping .429/.465/.517 after the All-Star break en path to a season line of .372/.414/.455, and a career-best 130 OPS+. Not solely did he win his second batting title, he broke George Sisler’s single-season document of 257 hits, set in 1920. The record-setting hit was a single off the Rangers’ Ryan Drese on October 1.

Suzuki’s 9.2 WAR set a profession excessive and led the AL. However sadly, the Mariners couldn’t encompass him with sufficient good gamers for the workforce to persistently contend, a typical thread throughout the regimes of basic managers Invoice Bavasi (2003 to mid-’08) and Jack Zduriencik (late 2008 to ’13). From 2004–12, Seattle completed final within the AL West seven occasions, even shedding 101 video games in each ’08 — to grow to be the primary 100-loss, $100-million payroll workforce — and ’10. The Mariners did go 88-74 in 2007, and 85-77 two years later, however it will take them till ’21 and ’22 to have back-to-back profitable data, and till the final of these seasons to safe one other playoff berth.

Amid this ongoing mess, Suzuki continued to churn out hits. From 2005–10 he hit .325/.370/.421 (114 OPS+) whereas averaging 220 hits, 9 homers, 38 steals, and 4.8 WAR, and persevering with his streaks of 200-hit seasons with All-Star and Gold Glove alternatives. He set a profession excessive for house runs with 15 in 2005, stole 45 bases in 47 makes an attempt in ’06, set a post-’04 excessive for hits with 238 in ’07, and reeled off a 27-game hitting streak in ’09. He completed as runner-up for the batting title each in 2007 (.351) and ’09 (.352).

In 2006 Suzuki was one in all two main leaguers (together with reliever Akinori Otsuka) who joined the Sadaharu Oh-managed Japanese nationwide workforce for the primary World Baseball Traditional. He rose to the event, hitting .364/.447/.485 with a double and a house run. He singled, doubled, and scored thrice in Japan’s 10-6 win over Cuba within the finals. Returning in 2009 as one in all 5 main leaguers on Japan’s roster, he hit a meager .273/.273/.364, however his two-run single in opposition to South Korea within the tenth inning of the finals proved decisive.

In 2007, Suzuki placed on a present within the All-Star Sport at San Francisco, going 3-for-3 with an inside-the-park house run, up to now the one such homer in All-Star historical past. His drive off Chris Younger caromed off AT&T Park’s right-center subject wall at an odd angle as Griffey, the NL’s proper fielder, headed within the improper path. The play wasn’t even shut.

The 2-run homer gave the AL a lead it by no means relinquished within the 5-4 win, and Suzuki was named the sport’s MVP. Three days later, he signed a five-year, $90 million extension with the Mariners, with $25 million of that deferred.

In 2011, the 37-year-old Suzuki lastly confirmed definitive indicators of growing older, as his 10-year streaks got here to an finish. After accumulating 214 hits with a 113 OPS+ and three.7 WAR in 2010, he slipped to 184 hits, an 86 OPS+ (.272/.310/.335), and 0.6 WAR. In 2012, his ultimate yr below contract, his play eroded even additional, and by July it was clear the Mariners have been once more going nowhere. With free company approaching, the 38-year-old Suzuki quietly requested the Mariners to commerce him. Zduriencik obliged in considerably stunning style. When the Yankees got here to city to play the Mariners on July 23, the commerce was introduced: Suzuki and about $5 million in alternate for pitching prospects Danny Farquhar and D.J. Mitchell. The deal made headlines, however from a aggressive standpoint the affect appeared minor. Wrote one wag, “A fast take a look at his stat strains suggests he’s affected by Acute Bat Loss of life Syndrome.”

Suzuki moved from Safeco Discipline’s house clubhouse to its visiting one, donned the Yankees’ highway grays, and acquired a prolonged ovation from Seattle followers, to whom he doffed his batting helmet and bowed. He singled off Kevin Millwood, then stole a base. For the subsequent two months and alter, he hit just like the Ichiro of previous, batting .322/.340/.454 (113 wRC+) in 67 video games whereas serving to the Yankees win a slim AL East race.

Dealing with the Orioles within the Division Sequence, in his first playoff look since 2001, Suzuki drove in runs with a double off starter Jason Hammel and a single off reliever Jim Johnson, keying a 7-2 Sport 1 victory. He added one other RBI double off Hamel in a 3-1 win in Sport 5, then went 4-for-6 with a two-run ninth-inning homer off the Tigers’ Jose Valverde within the ALCS opener. Whereas Raul Ibañez’s two-run homer despatched the sport into additional innings, the Yankees misplaced Jeter to a damaged left ankle later in that sport, and never solely did they go down in 12 innings, they have been swept.

In December, Suzuki re-signed with the Yankees on a two-year, $13 million deal. His returns diminished, and the workforce missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the primary time since 1992–93, however his tenure wasn’t with out highlights. On August 21, 2013, his 2,722nd MLB hit — a single off the Blue Jays’ R.A. Dickey — gave him an excellent 4,000 for his profession, together with his NPB complete.

The following celebration felt like a proxy for Suzuki’s 3,000th hit within the majors, on condition that he was two months and a day shy of his fortieth birthday, and appeared unlikely to succeed in the extra frequent milestone stateside. “It was presupposed to be a quantity that was particular to me,” he mentioned afterward by a translator. “What occurred tonight, I wasn’t anticipating. When my teammates got here out to first base, that was very particular, and clearly the followers — I wasn’t anticipating a lot pleasure and happiness from them.”

Requested by this scribe whether or not 3,000 hits in MLB was on his radar, Suzuki mentioned he couldn’t look up to now forward:

“I get requested that lots, however I can’t have that as a aim. What occurs as we speak determines what occurs tomorrow, that means I’ve bought to carry out as we speak so as to be within the lineup the subsequent day. I don’t make targets which can be so distant. What I do is do what I can each single day and construct off that and see the place that takes me.”

Although he hit for only a 77 OPS+ (.262/.297/.342) that season, Suzuki’s 20 steals (in 24 makes an attempt) and robust protection helped him to 2.1 WAR, which might stand as his highest complete after 2010. He completed his take care of the Yankees nonetheless 156 hits shy of three,000, then made the curious choice to signal a one-year, $2 million take care of the Marlins, who appeared set within the outfield with a Giancarlo Stanton–Marcell Ozuna–Christian Yelich alignment, and who needed to be satisfied he would settle for a part-time position. With the three regulars all sidelined by accidents for prolonged stretches, although, Suzuki performed extra video games (153) than any of them, however he set profession worsts with a .229/.282/.279 (58 OPS+) line and -1.1 WAR. His greatest spotlight got here within the eighth inning of the season’s ultimate sport. With the Marlins trailing 6-2, he took the mound and threw an inning, permitting two hits and one run with a fastball that peaked at 88.4 mph.

Nonetheless 65 hits in need of 3,000 — and, should you counted his NPB hits, 43 in need of Rose’s 4,256 — Suzuki re-upped on one other one-year, $2 million deal, this one with a membership possibility for 2017. Now 42 years previous, he loved his finest offensive season since 2010, hitting .291/.354/.376 (102 OPS+) with 1.6 WAR whereas taking part in in 143 video games, even with the beginning outfielders more healthy than in ’15. On April 29 in opposition to the Brewers, he swiped second base to document the five hundredth steal of his main league profession. On June 15 at Petco Park, he beat out an infield single off Luis Perdomo within the first inning, then doubled off Fernando Rodney within the ninth for his 4,256th and 4,257th hits. Whereas not technically a document, the achievement was celebrated on the sector and by the followers, and inevitably rubbed Rose and his defenders the improper means.

“I don’t suppose you may examine,” mentioned Suzuki by his interpreter. “Clearly, it’s a mixed document. So I at all times simply say, ‘What folks take into consideration that document, in the event that they acknowledge it, I’ll be joyful.’” He acknowledged Rose’s public expressions of discomfort with the comparability, and mentioned that 3,000 hits in MLB had grow to be his aim. “To be trustworthy, this wasn’t one thing I used to be making a aim. It was simply type of a bizarre scenario to be in.”

On the time he collected his 4,257th hit, Suzuki was batting .349/.410/.397, however he cooled off significantly, and performed sporadically in July. Lastly, on August 7 at Coors Discipline, he banged a triple off the appropriate subject wall in opposition to the Rockies’ Chris Rusin, changing into the thirtieth participant to succeed in 3,000 hits, and simply the fourth born outdoors the 50 states, following Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico), Rod Carew (Panama), and Rafael Palmeiro (Cuba).

“I needed to see it go over the fence, however after I heard that Paul Molitor was the opposite particular person to do it [triple for his 3,000th hit], I used to be glad it didn’t go over,” Suzuki mentioned afterward.

Suzuki spent yet one more yr with the Marlins, who picked up his 2017 possibility and added one for ’18, which they’d later decline. In March 2018, he agreed to an incentive-laden deal to rejoin the Mariners. Understandably, the transfer was greeted with appreciable fanfare, however whereas he was within the Opening Day lineup and picked up two hits the subsequent day, success proved fleeting. After simply 47 plate appearances unfold throughout 15 of the Mariners’ first 29 video games, the workforce launched him on Might 3. He didn’t formally retire, as a substitute agreeing to function a particular assistant to the entrance workplace, a task that saved him round to mentor youthful teammates. “We need to be certain that we seize all the worth that Ichiro brings to this workforce off the sector,” mentioned basic supervisor Jerry Dipoto.

Each side left the door open for a return in 2019. He made a quick one, becoming a member of the Mariners for his or her season-opening journey to face the A’s within the Tokyo Dome. He went 0-for-5 within the two video games, saying earlier than the second that he would formally retire afterward. After practically beating out an infield single within the high of the eighth, he took the sector for the underside of the body, then departed and bid “Sayonara” to the Japanese followers.

Suzuki completed his main league profession with 3,089 hits. That ranks twenty fifth all-time, however when you think about his late begin, solely Rose collected extra hits (3,357) from his age-27 season onward. Suzuki is one in all seven gamers to pair 3,000 hits with 500 steals:

Throw within the honors and awards — which push his Corridor of Fame Monitor rating to a gaudy 235, tied with Griffey and one level behind Ripken — and that’s a no-doubt Corridor of Famer. Sure, his stats are a bit padded as a result of he hung round for thus lengthy with out delivering a lot on-field worth (other than leisure), however he’s hardly the primary participant about whom that may be mentioned.

Given these conventional measures and accolades, it scarcely issues that Suzuki ranks “solely” seventeenth in JAWS amongst proper fielders, 4.8 factors under the usual. That’s nonetheless above sluggers Sammy Sosa, Dave Winfield, and Vladimir Guerrero, amongst others. It’s value declaring that even whereas lacking some prime seasons earlier than coming stateside, his 43.7-WAR seven-year peak ranks fifteenth, 1.3 factors above the usual.

The query of whether or not Suzuki shall be a unanimous selection for Cooperstown has loomed over his impending eligibility since Rivera ran the desk in 2019. The “custom” of non-unanimity was established with the primary Corridor of Fame election in 1936, when even Cobb (98.2%), Wagner and Babe Ruth (each 95.1%) had their holdouts. For as apparent because the elections of, say, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and Henry Aaron ought to have been, even they fell brief, although Aaron’s 97.8% in 1982 did stand because the second-highest share till Tom Seaver acquired 98.8% in ’92; he was left off simply 5 ballots. Griffey missed unanimity by simply three votes in 2016, and after Rivera — by huge consensus the perfect aid pitcher of all time due to his saves document and postseason résumé, however nonetheless a wierd option to set the document — Jeter fell one vote brief the next yr.

Whereas I don’t see how any author of their proper thoughts may object to Suzuki’s election — and in contrast to in some previous years, this poll isn’t so crowded as to require a strategic vote — latest historical past exhibits the cloak of anonymity can do unusual issues. Not one of the writers who omitted Griffey or Jeter have ever been recognized, however inside a physique of roughly 400 voters there’ll at all times be a number of petty and egocentric ones who make the method about themselves.

Nonetheless, it would scarcely matter. Ichiro Suzuki goes to Cooperstown briefly order, and the celebration will spark pleasure on two continents.