Happy 47th birthday to former Mariner Ichiro Suzuki

Today is I-CHI-RO’s 47th birthday! We wish him the best from SoDo Mojo and hope he is doing well, wherever the future hall of famer is.

The future Hall of Famer turns 47 today on October 22nd. Born in Nagoya, Japan, Ichiro Suzuki is the best Japanese baseball player to play in the MLB. From his iconic pre-pitch routine, his stretching in the outfield, his Asics shoes, his Mizuno glove, and bat, to his stylish sunglasses, he is a Mariners GOAT.

Ichiro changed baseball in America, but also in Japan. He was a Japanese trailblazer proving that people from anywhere across the world have the talent to play in the most competitive professional baseball league.

He obviously opened doors for many Japanese baseball players, but I think he had a big impact on other countries in Asia. South Korean ballplayers are not rare anymore, and we have seen many talented ones this year. One of them recently became the first Korean-born player to record a hit in the World Series.

Ichiro is undoubtedly a unanimous Hall of Famer in my mind and will join Mariano Rivera who was the first to be unanimously elected in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

As a reminder, Ichiro played 19 seasons in the MLB, 14 with Seattle, and six years combined with the Marlins and Yankees. Ichiro remains one of two players alongside Fred Lynn to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.

The outfielder collected 10 Gold Gloves and 10 All-Star selections all in back to back fashion. He also has two batting titles and three Silver Slugger Awards. Ichiro is also on top of the single-season hit total at 262 hits, which he accomplished in 2004.

In 2019, he returned to the organization as a special assistant and to work with the young players. Although he retired from playing, you could tell he wanted to be on the field because he dressed up every day in full uniform.

As of late, Ichiro has not been in the news or on television. So to be completely honest, it is not entirely clear what he is up to, or where he is. Ichiro does not have social media so the public really has no updates on him if the newspapers do not.

Ichiro is still listed as a Special Assistant to the Chairman on the Seattle Mariners website so he must still be with the organization and has just been quiet. Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez is also still listed as an Organizational Hitting Advisor on the website and we haven’t heard much of him either. Maybe that’s just a result of the chaotic 2020 and the lack of minor league ball games.

Anyways, we wish Ichiro a happy 47th birthday from the Sodo Mojo crew wherever he may be and hope he is doing well.