Ichiro: A Baseball Revolutionary

Ichiro lifts his bat in an iconic pose. AP

On January 21, Ichiro Suzuki will officially be announced as an elected member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He will be the first Japanese-born and even first Asian-born player enshrined in the Hall (although it should be noted that Ichiro has previously been inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame). In this article, I will review his legendary career, while providing an analysis of why he’s such a unique player—and person!

 Born on October 22, 1973, in Aichi, Japan, Ichiro was a clear baseball talent from a young age. He started playing in Japan’s premier baseball league, the NPB, in 1992 at eighteen years old. Within his nine seasons with the Orix Bluewave, he won three MVP awards and became a celebrity in his home country. However, he wanted to make a move to the most popular baseball league in the world, North America’s Major League Baseball (MLB), so on January 5, 2001, Ichiro signed with MLB’s Seattle Mariners. In fact, Ichiro was the first position player in history who went straight from the NPB to the MLB.

 Ichiro’s first season in America was more successful than anyone would have imagined. Ichiro won both the American League Rookie Of The Year Award and the MVP award as a rookie, leading Seattle to a record-tying 116-win season. In 2004, he broke the single-season record for hits in a MLB season with 262 and he had 200 or more hits in each of his first ten major league seasons, becoming the first player in the MLB to do so. Ichiro finished his MLB career with 3089 hits, and if you add this total to those from his time in the NPB, he has more hits than the MLB’s hit king, Pete Rose.  Known for possessing a rocket of an arm, Ichiro won ten Gold Gloves in right field, and made ten All-Star teams. Also recognized for his speed, he stole 509 bases in his MLB career, and in 2007 hit the first inside-the-park home run in MLB All-Star Game history, winning the exhibition’s MVP award in the process. In 2009, he hit a walk-off homer off the greatest closer ever, Mariano Rivera! A two-time American League batting champion, he hit a league and career-high .372 in 2004. In 2019, he took part in a special series in Japan to open the MLB season, and played the last game of his MLB career, the second of the two-game series. He finished his MLB career after nineteen seasons spent with the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Miami Marlins. He retired with a .311 batting average and three Silver Slugger awards.

 In the midst of the steroid era, Ichiro stood out because he didn’t try to be a slugger in America like many other star hitters of the time. Instead, he used his amazing bat-to-ball skills to masterfully execute shorter hits, and he used his speed on the bases to his advantage. Ichiro’s baseball IQ and work ethic were off the charts, and they were clearly displayed when he said, “You should seek approval from yourself.” He was proud to represent his country in international competitions, leading Japan to two World Baseball Classic titles, including in 2009, when his two-run single proved the difference in the final against South Korea.

 Ichiro had a remarkable career in professional baseball, both in Japan and the United States, and he helped pave the way for future stars from Japan’s NPB, like Shohei Ohtani, to successfully make the move to America. Perhaps known best for his batting stance, his skills at the plate and field, and his seemingly effortless coolness, Ichiro Suzuki leaves an extraordinary legacy as he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, during his playing days, the legendary leadoff hitter received a great deal of criticism for his playing style. But, as Ichiro himself said, “There’s not much difference between love and hate.”