Ichiro Suzuki Begins New Role with Mariners Today
SEATTLE, Wash. — Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto announced today that Ichiro Suzuki, who concluded his playing career on March 21 of this season, will work as an instructor for the team.
Ichiro begins his new role with the Mariners tonight in Seattle.
Ichiro will maintain his title of Special Assistant to the Chairman but will report to Dipoto. In his new role, he will work as an instructor with the Major League and AAA clubs, with a focus on outfield play, base-running and, in conjunction with the hitting coaches, batting.
He will work the majority of Mariners home games, with the vast majority of his time being spent with the players pre-game.
Ichiro retired following the game on March 21 in Japan. He left as the active Major League hits leader, ranking 21st all-time in MLB history with 3,089 career hits. After amassing 1,278 hits during a 9-year career (1992–2000) with the Orix Blue Wave of Japan’s Pacific League, Ichiro totaled 4,367 hits between MLB and Japan. On Aug. 7, 2016, he recorded his 3,000th career hit in the Major Leagues — a triple — becoming one of 31 players to reach that milestone. Ichiro is one of seven players to collect at least 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases in the Major Leagues, joining Lou Brock, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor and Honus Wagner. On June 15, 2016 he recorded the 4,257th hit of his career combined between Japan and MLB, unofficially breaking a tie with Pete Rose for most career professional hits.
Ichiro began his Major League career with the Mariners, taking the American League by storm during his rookie campaign of 2001. After winning his first of two American League batting titles while also leading the league in hits and stolen bases in 2001, Ichiro was named the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year while also earning a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger. He joined Boston’s Fred Lynn (1975) as the only players in either league to claim MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season. The 2001 season marked Ichiro’s first of 10 consecutive seasons with at least 200 hits — a Major League record — including a single-season Major League record 262 hits in 2004.
From 2001–2010, Ichiro won 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards and made 10 straight trips to the All-Star Game. He is one of six outfielders in Major League history to earn at least 10 Gold Gloves, joining Roberto Clemente (12), Willie Mays (12), Ken Griffey Jr. (10), Andruw Jones (10) and Al Kaline (10). Ichiro’s 10 All-Star Games appearances are tied with Ken Griffey Jr. for the most by a Mariner. In the 2007 All-Star Game in San Francisco, Ichiro was named Most Valuable Player after going 3-for-3 with the first inside-the-park home run in ASG history.
Among the Mariners all-time leaders in club history, Ichiro ranks 1st in hits (2,542), batting (.322), at-bats (7,907), triples (79) and stolen bases (438) while ranking 2nd in games (1,861) and runs (1,181), 3rd in doubles (295) and total bases (3,292), 4th in extra-base hits (473) and 5th in RBI (633) and walks (517).
