9:20am: Ichiro has now formally announced his retirement via a Mariners press release. The future Hall of Famer included the following statement:
“I have achieved so many of my dreams in baseball, both in my career in Japan and, since 2001, in Major League Baseball. I am honored to end my big league career where it started, with Seattle, and think it is fitting that my last games as a professional were played in my home country of Japan. I want to thank not only the Mariners, but the Yankees and Marlins, for the opportunity to play in MLB, and I want to thank the fans in both the U.S. and Japan for all the support they have always given me.”
5:54am: Ichiro Suzuki will announce his retirement following the completion of this morning’s game between the Mariners and Athletics in Tokyo, Jim Allen of the Kyodo News reports (Twitter link). Ichiro has already informed the Mariners about his decision. The 45-year-old outfielder is in today’s lineup, starting in right field in the 2653rd game of his MLB career.
The official announcement ends months of speculation that Ichiro would hang up his spikes at the conclusion of the two-game series, giving the legendary hitter the opportunity to take a final bow in his home country. Last May, Ichiro moved from the Mariners’ active roster into a front office role, and while he didn’t play again in 2018, both sides made it clear that he intended to continue his on-field career.
With these two games, Ichiro has now appeared in parts of the last 28 seasons in both Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball, completing one of the most remarkable careers in the history of the sport. Over 951 games with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan and then 2653 games with the Mariners, Yankees, and Marlins in North America, Ichiro recorded more professional hits than any player ever.
Heading into today’s action, Ichiro had an incredible 4367 career hits — 1278 in NPB, and 3089 in MLB, reaching the 3000-hit club in the majors despite not playing his first North American game until he was already 27 years old.
After nine years as a star in Japan, Ichiro made a heavily-anticipated jump to the majors prior to the 2001 season after the Mariners won a posting bid to acquire his services. The transition was more than just seamless — Ichiro’s debut in the Show saw him hit .350/.381/.457 over a league-high 738 plate appearances for a 116-win Mariners team. He became just the second player to win both the Rookie Of The Year and MVP Awards in the same year, also winning the first of three Silver Slugger Awards and the first of 10 Gold Gloves.
Ichiro’s smooth left-handed hitting stroke and quick acceleration out of the box made him a threat to reach base every time he made contact. Perhaps the most notable of his many achievements was setting a new single-season hits record in 2004, as his 262 hits broke the 84-year-old mark formerly held by Hall-of-Famer George Sisler.
Ichiro’s defense and baserunning were perhaps just as impressive as his exploits at the plate. He stole a league-best 56 bases in 2001, and finished his career with 509 steals, tied for 35th-most in Major League history. As a right fielder, Ichiro unleashed a throwing arm that instantly drew comparisons to Roberto Clemente in terms of both power and accuracy.
While his skills inevitably declined with age, Ichiro did his best to stave off Father Time, playing past his 45th birthday due to a near-mythic fitness regime and nonstop preparation. This work ethic helped make Ichiro one of the most respected players of recent times, idolized by both fans and teammates alike all over the world.
We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Ichiro on an incredible career, and wish him all the best in his post-playing days.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Next stop Cooperstown. Thanks for a great and classy career!
Hope he gets in unanimous
Not likely. I think that was an exception for Mo, and it’ll go back to the old system where some people know he’s getting in so they save their vote for someone else.
Can you explain what you mean by “save their vote for someone else”? Do voters only get x number of votes? I thought they all voted on all nominees, no? Honest question because I don’t know the answer.
I think voters get 10 votes every year.
They have a limited amount of votes they can make and players have a limited amount of time on a ballot so some voters don’t vote for the sure hall of gamer in order to try and save another player on the ballet. To me, if you need saving you don’t belong in the hall of fame. It’s become kinda silly to think of how he hall voting has been more open. The hall is for the 1% of all of baseball. That’s why I don’t think someone like moose should get in. He was never even the best any season he pitched so why would he be considered a top 1% on the game. But hey, that’s just me. Our countries culture has been one of trying to make everyone feel good and important these days so maybe that’s where it stems from. I never got a trophy for finishing in 5th place lol
I’m pretty sure each voter gets to vote for up to 10 players.
Voters are limited to ten names each year; some voters manipulate their ballots to keep guys on the ballot longer.
Why make an exception for Rivera and not Ichiro? We should find the voters who decide that Ken Griffey, Jr. isn’t ‘worthy’ of their vote and get rid of them. If those voters can’t determine all-out greatness, then find someone who can. Surely there was someone on Rivera’s ballot who needed ‘saving’?
So if a voter knows Ichiro is already a lock , he/ she may use that vote for another player who may fall short.
I agree with this. If you need to be saved, you don’t belong there. But then guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are on the ballot and getting votes, so I don’t think the writers actually know why they’re voting for guys sometimes.
If Cooperstown decided to put Pete Rose on the ballot in July, do you think any of these writers would vote for him? Probably not, and probably out of fear of being blacklisted by MLB.
People were writing in Rose for years after he was kicked out of baseball. He’d get votes.
I think Rose should have been allowed on the ballot, I liken it to what if say Frank Robinson was caught betting on games when he was a manager after he was elected. would have they have pulled his plaque.
So I think Rose, Bonds, Clemens and even the Black Sox that were worthy of election should be in (Ciocote and Jackson) since they’ve served their lifetime bans.
Yes, exactly. It’s just ballot manipulation. When people wonder why Ruth, Cobb, weren’t unanimous it’s because there were so many qualified guys on the ballot. After that a lot of old-time baseball writers, not understanding the process, decided, “well, if Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb weren’t unanimous then nobody should be, hence the reason why Mays, Mantle, Aaron, Rickey, Seaver etc. weren’t unanimous. A few old-school guys always intentionally left them off their ballots for that reason.
Now, with the “steroid” guys clogging up the ballot, there’s more than ten Hall of Famers on the ballot, so some younger voters are playing the long game and trying to keep guys like Rolen on the ballot longer by leaving off the very obvious Hall of Famers who are going to get in anyway. I was very surprised Mo was unanimous. I figured the first would be Jeter.
Ichiro > riveria
Riveria should have never gotten in unanimously
This has nothing to do with your “anti-PC politics” or “everyone feel good” approach, you silly goose. If you (gnimmo) did even two seconds of investigating, you would see that the standards today are actually much harsher than in the past. Besides three question mark inclusions of late (Baines, Morris, Smith), today’s inclusion standards pales in comparison to all lesser candidates brought in through the veterans committees and voting process of the past (Maranville, Schalk, L Waner, Haines, Rizzuto, Bresnahan, Commiskey, etc) . No one was claiming “feel good” inclusionary tactics back then. You know why? Because they didn’t exist. Quit trying to turn this into something it is not.
Baines and Morris and Smith are all terrible selections, and they were all VC selections. The writers are doing a really good job these days. The VC has almost always been the problem – see, for example, the Frankie Frisch years, where he just put all of his old teammates in the Hall. That was the absolute nadir of HoF selections.
Yes 10
I agree that the Hall should be more selective, but by your logic, findingnimmo, Duke Snider wouldn’t get in, since he happened to play at the same time as Mantle and Mays – but Duke Snider is definitely a Hall of Famer.
Morris was at the top during his time in the league and was a deserving selection. Too many look as these “new” stats, and miss the forest for the trees. As the one of the Best of his Generation, he deserved the honor. That’s what the Hall is for. There was no pitcher you would rather have on the mound to win one game than Jack Morris.
Yeah, the Hall specifically says that performance in a “single game” isn’t criteria for selection. Morris is in because of that single game. Morris was a league-average pitcher throughout his career. He’s nowhere near the worst pitcher in the Hall – that would be somebody like Chesbro or Ferrell or…um, maybe Ted Lyons? Jesse Haines? Addie Joss isn’t even qualified but he’s in.
Still, I’d put Morris firmly at the very bottom of HOF pitchers. His career ERA of 3.90 and career ERA+ of 105 are dead last among any pitcher in the Hall, and his vaunted postseason aura isn’t that special – a 7-4 record, a 3.80 career postseason ERA, He’s in because of one game.
The thing about Rose, is he not only bet on his team. but bet AGAINST his team also, and this is why he will never get in…period. They have tried to keep this hush hush, to avoid a scandal like the 1919 Black Sox World Series scandal, but it is true he bet against the Reds, so he can kiss his chance of ever getting in Goodbye
What? There were many,many guys you’d rather have on the mound to win a game than Jack Morris.
There were 88 pitchers who had more than 1,500 innings over Jack Morris’ full season career 1979-1994. Morris ranks 61st of those 88 (bottom 31%). Morris was an above average pitcher who had a long career, played on teams with a lot of run support and he had a couple career years.
Morris never had a sub 3.05 ERA and only one season below 3.34. In 18 years, he was an All Star less than 1/3 of the time, no Cy Youngs, He didn’t even have a 2:1 K:BB rate.
Not sure what the obsession is with his mustache. Apparently a scowl, a mustache and one really great game makes a HoFer.
That would require the writer’s to “collude” with each other on who will save their votes, else risk someone not getting in. If we are going to do that, we should switch to a committee anyway.
It only takes one moment to be famous, or infamous.
There’s no rule against the writers making their ballots public; about a third of them do every year. A lot of writers still keep their ballots private, but there’s no evidence that writers are “colluding.” The younger writers appear to take their responsibilities really seriously. The older writers and the VC are the reactionary ones, turning in blank ballots to protest the “steroid era” or pulling a Murray Chass and quitting voting because he doesn’t like WAR or whatever.
It’s not just younger voters. Its guys like Heyman and Gammons and most of the big time writers.
There is no evidence Rose bet against his team. Only for. He bet against lots of other teams in games that his team was not involved in and that is an issue. Worst of all, Rose lied and continued to lie for years after he had already been found to have committed the offense.
The hall has always been more about consistency than being the best in one specific season. There are a ton of one year wonders that aren’t in the hall. Moose was consistently very good for his career
@david Jack Morris is in the HOF because of THIS number. 175. Figure it out.
Yes. There is a hard limit of 10 votes per voter per year.
Rosa also admitted he had bet on his team and he accepted the lifetime ban
Jack Morris is in the Hall of Fame because of a lot of complete games? That’s such a weird and meaningless stat, and one that he had no control over, and is also such an artifact of a different era than the one in which he was elected. I don’t care one whit about complete games.
That you don’t understand the importance of complete games in that era shows that you were not a player and have no understanding of the era in which he pitched. Jack had complete control of that result. Pitch well and your manager keeps you in the game. Stink and you are pulled long before you can pitch a complete game. Look at complete games in his era. No one was close. Jack belongs.
And that is the plea poor old Pete agreed to, a lifetime ban! He denied it all until it came to sell a book….then denied more until it came to sell another book. When the next book is ready for press is when this sleeve will open up even more. Curious how much those special edition baseballs autographed with I did not bet on baseball” are worth now?
GoldenArm………
The Official Dowd Reports states “”no evidence was discovered that Rose bet against the Cincinnati Reds.”. Dowd did however state that given more time he believes he would have uncovered evidence he did. That is a far cry from your claim.
The closest it came to Rose betting against the Reds was the fact that Rose never bet on the Reds when Mario Soto was pitching.
Yes, I was not a player. Like about 5 billion other people on the planet.
Jack pitched quite poorly in his complete games. You could look it up!
Correct
What a crock. You don’t complete games if you are pitching poorly. It means you are pitching well. Having more complete games than anyone else means you are good. Jack belongs. You could actually learn something about the game in other eras and move out of your mom’s basement.
Aren’t you much too old to be making the type of argument a third grader would make? I’m guessing so, if you’re this infatuated with Jack Morris.
Citing complete games, as though that trumps every single other available statistic that shows Jack Morris wasn’t that great, is such a bizarre argument that I genuinely don’t know what you think you are attempting with it.
“My mom’s basement” is hilarious though. Good for you for repeating a joke that’s like one thousand years old. My mom, btw, lives in a place without basements.
Mariano Rivera, definitely the most clutch reliever to ever play the game. Of course he should have been unanimous!
I don’t believe that sports writers should have that right. I think the HOF should be voted on by our current HOF’s who are still alive. Sports writers are not that important to the HOF or the game itself. My opinion.
I agree the vote to the hall is flawed. Should be a combination of HoFers, current players (done by top % votes across all players) and sports writers should still get a vote but similar to current players.
That would be much worse. We already have a system by which former players / HOF’s vote for the Hall of Fame. It’s called the Veteran’s Committee, and their picks are far, far worse than those of the sportswriters. That’s how Harold Baines got voted in a couple months back. For the people here who disapprove of Mussina getting in, understand that Baines provided literally half the value that Mussina did over the course of their respective careers. Former players/managers vote for their buddies and past teammates out of cronyism, not due to any attempt at objective worthiness. Their standards are consequently much lower.
Yes the VC selections are basically all of the worst Hall of Famers, and always have been. Guys voting for their teammates and ignoring the numbers.
I would have to agree to disagree on this one. The HOF is more than just stats. It’s about the player’s contribution to the game, both on the field and off the field. Mike Mussina was worth more wins, but fell off after his career ended. Baines’ post career has been all about MLB and will be for years to come.
That’s preposterous. By this measure Bob Eucker and Steve Stone should be Hall of Famers. The Hall of Fame should reward players for their performance on the field, and only that.
One of the rules of voting for the HOF is character. I would not ever want to see Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, McGwire, or any of the PED users in the HOF. They cheated the game and their fellow players. I would never want to see a wife beater or a felon in the HOF regardless of their performance on the field. I want to see the guys that I admired both for their performance on the field and for the person they are.
There are lots of wife beaters and “bad character” guys in the Hall. Babe Ruth was a womanizer who cheated on his wife daily. Ty Cobb beat up a man with no hands. Ted Williams spit on Boston fans. Kirby Puckett beat his wife routinely….and this list could go on and on
@david. What a tired excuse. Just because there are murderers walking the street should we allow more people to commit murder?
The rules of voting say that no one that does those things should be in the HOF. Those are the rules of voting. It doesn’t say that because Cobb was a jerk and a racist and supposedly did bad things that we should let others that are like him in the HOF. It doesn’t that because any player already in the Hall beat his wife that we should let other in there now. It says that voters should not vote for them now.
Not going to argue your false assertions about several of those guys. Rumors are not facts. You need to learn that.
If you want criminals and cheaters in the HOF just because there may already be a few in there is a sign you have a pathetic life and a complete lack of personal integrity.
BTW @david I said I don’t want to see them in the HOF. I never said that there were not already players in the HOF that had bad character. That you immediately came back with that tired excuse showed me much about your own character or lack thereof.
Messina fell off? He won 20 games his last season and literally walked away from millions to be a dad. He could’ve hung on several more years and million$ later to pad numbers.
What are the false facts you speak of?
Babe Ruth’s womanizing was legendary. Ted Williams’ disdain for the fans, and him spitting on them, is documented and also legendary. Puckett’s post-career spiral into abuse is pretty well-documented. Cobb going into the stands to assault a man without hands is on record.
Post career and after he was in the HOF, not as a player.
Williams spit in the DIRECTION of fans, not on them. If you are going to quote things, at least research what really happened.
Please post a link about Ruth that was 1st or 2nd party.
You may want to rethink what you think you know about Cobb – mlb.com/news/ty-cobb-history-built-on-inaccuracies…
Newspaper reports from 1912 said Cobb went into the stands after a man who had been cursing at him for several innings and then started talking about his mother “in colorful terms.” When that man started saying Cobb’s father was a (n word), Cobb went after him.
“Pirates manager Fred Clarke pushed a heckler down a flight of stairs, Phillies coach Kid Gleason chased down a fan who had hit him on the head with a soda bottle, and Hall of Famers Cy Young and Rube Waddell were among the players who rushed into the stands to fight hecklers.
So it actually wasn’t even all that unusual that Cobb did, indeed, flail away at a fan in the stands in 1912. What’s unusual is that this fan was missing two fingers on one hand and all five on the other.”
Today that man would have been escorted out of the stadium by police long before it got to that point. Cobb was not arrested for that incident. When he was suspended his teammates went on strike. The first time that had ever happened.
That still doesn’t mean that just because the BBWAA voted someone with bad character into the HOF before there was a character clause in the voting instructions means that I want guys like that in the HOF now.
So glad you are admitting to a complete lack of moral character without argument. Saves time.
Williams “I spit on fans, and I’d spit again” Google is your friend in this; it’s the top result. He was fined by the Sox, and his nasty relationship with the fans was legendary. He was a surly guy.
If you don’t think Babe Ruth was a womanizer you are being deliberately obtuse or you’ve never read a single biography of the man. Babe missed most of a season because of an STD, and, literally, every single biography of the man mentions his love for the ladies, especially the ones who got paid for their work.
If I posted a link about every single person who talked about Ruth hiring prostitutes and womanizing, it would take days for me to find them all.
With all due respect, players often make horrible talent evaluations. Look at Harold Reynolds still spouting RBI as a legitimate MVP metric, for example. Or Smoltz or any the vast majority of the former players.
The old school writers are being replaced by a younger group who more properly evaluates the game. I like a veteran’s committee, but not full decision making power.
@swen So what you are saying is that you believe that older guys, many in their 80s or 90s, that watch a few games a season should have more input than baseball writers that watch every game the teams they report on play in?
I want the most informed voter possible, not just a guy that was a great player.
Watched almost the entire game this morning, shame he was pulled early, could have had another couple at bats, chance to go out with a hit. Still, what an qwesome career, and special way to go out in front of his countrymen!
Ichiro was very good and a HOF player but Pete Rose will probably always be the all time MLB hits leader.
People used to say that about Ty Cobb, too, you know. Lou Gehrig’s iron man streak was also thought unbreakable until Cap Ripken Jr. managed to do it.
The only truly unbreakable records are due to paradigm shifts (such as Most Career Complete Games) or rule changes (such as Most Hits Allowed on Intentional Walk Attempts) in the game, or because it’s literally impossible to break them (such as Highest Batting Average in a Single Game). Aside for those exceptions, my favorite choice for MLB record extremely unlikely to ever be broken is Most Grand Slams in the Same Inning off the Same Pitcher.
There is one point everyone is missing. Seattle has a 2 game lead in the AL and ALW. I didn’t think I would be able to say that this year so I am getting it in while I can.
As for the HOF voters they had a big problem and I think it was addressed after the Griffey vote. They had guys doing obits and gardening articles some not even a journalist anymore. It used to be if you got your credentials to vote you had them until you died. They cleaned up most of the people that don’t cover sports anymore. They were talking about this on MLB a few years back and they might include guys that do TV into the mix. Guys on MLBTV know more about the players out west than I bet say a beat writer for the Mets. Not picking on them but how much have they watched the Mariners play? How much did they see Ichiro play? The voting is getting better but like the game at times it is slow.
Does this mean his HoF eligibility is pushed back a year, though?
Nice that they set it up so he could play his last games at home. One of the best hitters ive seen.
Great career best hitter of all time. It’s too bad the Mariners couldn’t build a great team around him all those years…
Ted Williams is holding for you, he’d like a word
Rogers Hornsby is on line two.
Stan Musial is on line three.
Ty Cobb is out in the parking lot with a shotgun
Lmao. Ty Cobb is the walking definition of “that escalated quickly”.
Cobb is actually in the stands, beating up a man who has no hands.
Such a prisoner of the moment statement. Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, and more way better. OMFG!
They won 116 games with him.
And a ton of WS.
Don’t forget the Sultan of Swat.
Possibly the most fascinating baseball player ever.
One of the GOATs. Thanks for the excellence, Ichiro! I would have loved to see him play his whole career here and seen the numbers he would’ve put up. Just an awesome player to watch.
Well to be honest, it wasn’t like Griffey where once he left he got hurt all the time. He would have realistically put up identical numbers, if not less since his playing time would have been capped with the Mariners around the time (or following season or two) he was traded in 2012. It just would have been cool to see him hit 3000 with the mariners.
I’m assuming he meant if he had gone straight to the US without playing in Japan.
RIP in peace.
idiot.
someone is not very smart and that someone is realgone2
He’s a Buddhist, so he’s immortal.
He’s just retiring, not dying…
we know. he is joking
One of the best hitters ever.
Hopefully he gets a hit.
Congratulations
Ichiro Suzuki will probably go down as the best singles hitter of all time. He possessed great speed in his younger days and still has a cannon arm. But Ichiro should have retired several years ago too. Glad his fans got a glimpse of the past.
southi, Pete Rose is cursing you right now 🙂
Do these people ever think?
I was joking, as in , Pete Rose is an egomaniac who would never admit someone might be better than he was.
it could very well be that if Ichiro spent all of his professional career in the USA, he’d own the all time hit record
It could very well be he wouldn’t.
Obviously. But you can make the argument that he wouldve and thats the point I am making. Stats arent everything so just simply looking at MLB hit totals wouldnt necessarily tell you whos a better/worse hitted.
And if my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle
You my friend get the Gold Standard in posts.
How many times are you going to make that comment on here? Wasn’t even funny the first 500 times.
In some/maybe most views, Ichiro is the all time hits king.
It’s almost a sure thing he would have the all time hit record.. Barring injury, it would absolutely have happened.
Assuming his batting average over his first 7 seasons in MLB (.333) was applied to the prior 7 full time years in Japan and his 682 MLB ABs were averaged for the prior 7 seasons, Suzuki would have 3,089 + 1,592 = 4,681 hits.
He’d have over 400 more hits than anybody in MLB history. Suzuki didn’t show a lot of power and his on base skills weren’t stunning, but at purely getting hits, few players have shown the elite longevity and success Suzuki has shown.
Some 1% who think the Japanese hits count, which they most certainly don’t. So the most 99% who know Rose is the MLB hits king are the ones who matter.
Nothing is a sure thing in sports!
+Bocephus
No is saying that the Japanese hits count. Youre missing the point. The point is that the numbers themselves are not necessarily indicative to how good Ichiro was because he spent 9 years playing in Japan. Ichiro, who handled MLB pitching extremely well, would either have surpassed Pete Roses all time hit record or be a close 2nd had he spent more of his prime years in the USA.
Pete Rose has the most MLB hits. No one disputes that. However, that doesnt necessarily mean that he was better at getting hits than Ichiro.
When will people understand that numbers/totals arent everything?
Their slash lines are so similar. Rose has 5000 more ABs, so you can’t compare anything else too much. Ichiro was a better singles hitter, Rose was a better overall batter. More Power, drew walks, hardly ever struck out.
Oxford, that is pretty much my thought as well. I used to fear Rose as a hitter because I felt he was always a threat to get the big hit. I just honestly never felt that way about Ichiro (although I’m sure those on West coast rivals may have).
Ichiro is actually only #7 on the all-time singles list. Rose is first, followed by Cobb, Collins, Anson, Jeter, and Keeler. Then Ichiro. Then, to round out the top 10 it’s Wagner, Carew and Speaker. So basically, if you take out the deadball-era guys, It goes Rose, Jeter, Ichiro, Carew.
Shhhhhh with those facts!
Are we going to sit here a pretend that he spent 9 seasons in Japan so his MLB totals are not indicative of just how good Ichiro was? I’d have to imagine Ichiro is a better singles hitter than Jeter, even though Jeter has more than him.
While I haven’t checked the numbers when I made the initial comment it wasn’t about the number of singles but more about how I perceived the hitter and their frequency of singles. I certainly never was concerned that he was a big threat to go deep frequently.
Yeah, I don’t know what percentage of his hits were singles but I bet he’s at or very near the top of that list.
Tony Gwynn was the greatest singles hitter of all time.
Would’ve been even better if he was in shape and could beat out some more throws.
Wonder if Francesa forgets that Ich indeed has 3000 American hits.
Wonder if Stephen A. Smith will hear current Mariners manager Lou Piniella’s thoughts.
Glad he’s going out like this rather than forcing the Mariners to make an uncomfortable choice about releasing him. One of the great unique careers in baseball history. Never walked, never struck out. He was basically Tony Gwynn without the injuries. It was a testament to how good he was that he played, basically five full seasons well after he was any good anymore (his 2015, in which he played 153 games for the Marlins, is one of the very worst offensive seasons of all time; Chris Davis-level bad).
He is one of about ten Hall of Famers I was lucky enough to see play in person, in 2005 against the White Sox. He led off and got a couple singles, including an infield hit to lead off the game. The Mariners lost – they were really bad that year, from what I recall – but I was rooting for him even though I was nominally a White Sox fan. He will be the first Japanese-born player in the Hall of Fame, from what I can tell, and that’s going to be a Rickey-like must-see speech.
I’m guessing that this was the plan all the way back to when he didn’t-retire last year.
Since 2011 he has put up a COMBINED 4.7 WAR…in 8 years…he’s been awful for a long time.
Yeah; it’s been sad to see; he is still in good shape, but the last time I watched him the bat speed was just gone, and he couldn’t really run anymore. I understand that when you spend your whole adult life doing something, and doing it well, it’s really hard to walk away from it….there aren’t too many Joe Dimaggios out there. Most players, in any sport, hang on as long as they can, even after they’ve lost their usefulness. It’s like the last line in Ball Four”: “You spend your whole life gripping a baseball, and in the end you realize it was the other way around all along.”
WAR doesnr favor speedy contact hitters. It favors power and patient hitters. The more you know. That said, the guy is 45, so 4.7 WAR over your age 37-45 seasons is better than most peoples age 37-45 seasons. He has also barely played the last what, 3-4 years? Hard to rack up WAR if youre off the field
WAR doesn’t really discriminate like that; it’s basically predicated on runs created and, defensively, removed. Speedy contact hitters tend to not create a ton of runs, unless they are truly elite. Ichiro was a truly elite speedy contact hitter early in his career. Late in his career he was no longer speedy, no longer really even a contact hitter. He was bad – his 2015 is a special kind of awful – .229/282/279 slash line with 12 extra base hits (5 doubles, 6 triples, 1 homer) in 438 PAs.
Rickey put up 10 WAR between his age 37-45 seasons, btw.
Ichiro has been bad for a long time now. You can discredit WAR for a guy of his skill set but take a look at anything else. He hasn’t been good. In 2016 he mustered up a pretty decent slash line for a fourth outfielder but look at everything after and the 4 seasons prior. The guy hasn’t been useful in his old age. Phenomenal hitter in his prime and a first ballot HOF’er but not productive on the back end.
If WAR doesn’t do it for you look at some other stats for him.
+david
Runs are created via walks and XBH hitting more so than they are singles and few walks. So speedy contact guys arent favored unless they steal a ton of bases. Im not even making the argument that he is spectacular, just that you his WAR being that high even though he was 37-45 years old, barely playing the last so and so years, and the production he does provide not favorable in WAR calculations isnt the worst thing in the world. Father time obviously won and I’m not disputing that. Rickey was also another special player, im pretty sure he was still stealing bases though. The amount of bases he stole in that time period was probably worth 10 wins in itself in actuality. Im telling you though, WAR algorithms favor patient hitters waiting to get XBHs (patient hitters get walks which makes up for lack of singles)
+jbigz
I dont dispute that he has been bad. Just commenting about WAR really. Also giving a little benefit of the doubt to a guy who hasnt really played for years other than a game or two
Rickey was definitely always a patient hitter, even when his bat speed was gone; Ichiro was never that kind of guy. And frankly, though, shouldn’t a metric like WAR have a problem with guys who don’t put runs on the board? Ichiro’s basic problem is that at the end of his career he put very few runs up.
You are correct, Bejamin; Ichiro was not valuable the last ten years or so of his career. He was popular, so he had off-field value, but players who don’t create runs have very little value. Runs win games.
Well, it certainly doesn’t help that he was last a primary outfielder in 2014, which was also a season where he did not hit well.
I miss you already Ichiro
Legend
Perfect way to exit. Glad I got to watch ch him all these years.
When he was at his best, he’d hit the ball right off the plate and be almost to first before it came down. Was infuriating as an opposing fan, but perfect.
Cooperstown in 5 years is a given.
I don’t know that it was the perfect way to exit. Kinda seems like Veeck and the midgit, how they used him for a two game series to get publicity. He had a great career, but bringing him back for two games after they released him last June? This appears rather “Stuntish”. Maybe Detroit could sell a few tickets by putting Kaline back at DH for a well publicized game or two. Would that be good for the game?
I don’t know how you could watch the video of him leaving the field today and not be moved. It was amazing. All players of his stature should get a sendoff like that. Ichiro was still on the 40-man, with the sort of implication this would happen. It’s not really a big deal and., sure, it’s a bit of a stunt, but it was still quite moving and special. And heck, if Detroit wanted to do the same with Al Kaline, that would be just fine too. He might be more mobile these days than the current Tigers DH. I understand not everybody is as sentimental about baseball as I am, but these indelible moments are important – Gehrig’s “luckiest man” speech, Ruth’s final game, Ted Williams homering in his final at-bat and then being forced to acknowledge the standing O by the fans who he hated, Gwynn, Jr.s first AB after his father died – I love all that stuff. That’s the human side of the game.
Agreed david, that video was moving. A baseball moment that goes well beyond a big hit or great catch. I love those moments, too.
I didnt say the moment wasn’t moving. But those other iconic moments you mentioned didnt occur months after the player was released. His coming back to produce an o-for just reduced his legacy in my eyes. If you’re fine with it, you have that right. I just hope it doesn’t catch on. I would have respected his moment more if he signed a contract with his original Japanese team to retire in their uniform, without playing another game.
Obviously it was a mutual agreement from both parties. Who knows, maybe it was Ichiro’s idea to go out in his home country. Regardless of who initiated the agreement, it was a win-win for the Mariners & Ichiro.
What retirement home is he going too?
A bigger one than you will ever be able to afford.
I remember watching a game at Safeco against the Yankees, it’s the bottom of the ninth and Mariano was in the hill closing it out. I was leaving prior to the last out, rocking all my Yankees gear, telling all the M’s fans “IT’S OVER, just go home”, then Ichiro hit a game winning homerun against the greatest closer of all time. Ichiro was the GOAT during his tenure, he will be missed on the field, it would not surprise me one iota if he thrills today, even in his mid-forties. Go get em, Ichiro!
You don’t know what GOAT means, do you?
This never happened. lol. But we all remember the SC highlight.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=2H17AqrJ-1M
But it did, on 09/18/09
But the AT in GOAT means ALL TIME, you can’t say some was the GOAT for their tenure.
Tenure does equal not All Time
Yeah, it was a three-run homer. I vaguely remembered it too and then looked up the home-run log on B-R and, yep, there it is.
Missing a whole year I believe affected his possibility to compete at the level he would have wanted to this year. It takes a lot of work to get timing and stroke back.
Respect for a career other players could only dream of.
Well done sir, what a truly amazing career!!
Mark, thanks for a very nice article and tribute to an all-time great. What an absolute treat it was to watch that guy play! Thanks, Ichiro! Miss you already!
1st Ballot Hall of Fame
Not to take anything away from Ichiro, MLB needs to change its requirements for ROY eligibility. NLB is not classified as minor leagues.
I agree with this
What a honor to watch him play. I wasn’t a Mariners fan, but I went to a few games in Pittsburgh when he played against my team. One of the greatest hitter of all time. HoF here he comes!
He is also low key hilarious in interviews when he wants to be. Been a pleasure to watch this man play the game.
I was at the Tokyo Dome the day he retired.
today?
I’m an Angels fan and always hated seeing Ichiro come to the plate, and you surely didn’t want to hit the ball in his direction, dude’s arm was insane – great career and hats off to you sir
He will be sorely missed. A true testament to the game. Throwback player without compromise. Unique at the same time. Thank you for everything Ichiro! Forever grateful.
Great player. Glad to see him retire at home
RIP Ichiro. Watching you play was a lot of fun, a lot more than today’s game of three true outcomes. Thanks for all the exciting plays:)
He’s not dead.
An absolute legend of the game! Thank you for an amazing career and for your time in the Bronx! See you in Cooperstown!
So MLB has “Opening Day” a week early in Japan so Japan can say “bye”?!
That was planned by MLB last year and had absolutely nothing to do with Ichiro. Once Ichiro and the Mariners heard about it, they planned to have him play in those two games.
As an M’s fan I got to see him a lot and one thing always amazed me. He treated major league pitchers almost like slow pitch pitchers. He could slap the ball around in any direction seemingly. Many thought he might be a threat to hit .400 because of his speed, he had so many infield hits. The defense, the arm, the speed, what a great player to be sure. But the knock on him is that he was really mainly a slap hitter. Not that many extra base hits. The stolen bases helped make up for that to a degree. But also someone who never talked to the fans so we never got to know him. That was disappointing. In the end, where does he rate among the greatest outfielders? Mays, Aaron, Trout, Ted Williams, Kaline, Ruth, Clemente, Cobb, Mantle, Reggie Jackson, DiMaggio, Frank Robinson, Tris Speaker, Griffey, Musial, Snider, Yaz, Ott, Dave Winfield, Gwynn, Paul Waner, Sam Crawford, etc. I don’t think he’s even in the top 15. But one of the greats for sure.
I don’t know why you would say he is not in the top 15. How many players had the speed and the arm he did? I have watched a lot of baseball and you see OFers that are fast with really good arms and you see them with amazing arms and they are quick. I don’t know if there has been one that fast with that arm. He also got great reads which helped a lot. If anyone has any question about his arm look up the throw when he threw out Terrance Long of the As. Not many could do that. It would be hard to decide since there are so many playing eras maybe we need to cut it off in eras to make it easier and fair.
(compassrose) I have watched quite a bit of baseball,No doubt he had speed and a cannon for a arm.. I saw Evans, Parker,Dawson, Winfield, Barfield, to name a few all had Great arms but to be fair to your point the only one I saw with Ichicro speed and arm was Roberto Clemente
Quite possibly the best hitter of all time. I hate 1. The Mariners ever traded him and that he wasted 2 years his career in Miami.
Dude played for the Orix BlueWave, not “Buffaloes”, they hadn’t merged with Kintetsu yet.
I think it’s only fitting to ask, was he the greatest left handed of all time?
Gwynn was better. Williams was better. Ruth was better. Cobb was better. Gehrig was better. Musial was better. Hell, Bonds, even without the PEDs , was better. There have been a lot of really great left-handed batters in history. Shoeless Joe was a left-handed hitter. Negro League historians say that Oscar Charleston was as good as Ruth, and he was left-handed too. SO no, Ichiro was a great left-handed singles hitter who was also incredibly valuable as a defender and baserunner. But he wasn’t close to the best left-handed hitter of all time.
You place no criteria on what you use to determine who was the best hitter. Unless you state your criteria, trying to say this guy was better or that guy was better is a useless pissing contest.
Ichiro didn’t play in the majors until he was 27. If he started at 18 (the age he started in Japan) or 19 or even 20 a solid argument can be made that he would have been the best hitter of all time in terms of number of hits.
No player has ever had more hits after their age 26 season. Gwynn had 2371. Cobb 2589. Ruth 2159. Musial 2635. Williams 1905. Bonds 2098. Ichiro 3089.
By that criteria, Ichiro was by far the best LH hitter from 27 years old on.
Since he didn’t play in the US before that season comparing anything else is pissing up a rope.
Ok we’ve established now he’s the best left handed hitter of all time, next question…is he the best hitter of all time?
Flat out hits, ok but compare slg percentage of those/ and on base % to him and its a different story… I loved watching Ichiro play(big a.l. fan) was a great all around player but he is not a better hitter than any of those you named……..
There is more to hitting than hitting singles.
Musial was so much more productive than Ichiro; I almost can’t believe this is an argument. Ichiro hit sin. gles. He ran well and was a great defender. Musial did all those things but also hit for power and drew walks
Again, you placed NO CRITERIA on what you meant by a better hitter. If hitting means how many hits they got, Ichiro was better.
Until you say by what criteria you are judging hitting, you are just pissing up a rope.
Okay – criteria might be OPS+. Or maybe extra bases. Or maybe WAR. Or maybe RBIs or Runs scored, if you’re an old-school person. By all these measures, Ichiro falls well short. He hit lots of singles. He was a terrific defensive player and baserunner. Among left-handed hitters, here are the tops in WAR, in order:
Bonds. Ruth. Cobb. Speaker. Musial. Collins. Williams. Gehrig. Ott. Morgan. Mathews. Yaz. Boggs. Brett. Griffey. Carew. Gehringer. Crawford. Whitaker. Reggie. Thome. Vaughn. Waner. Walker. Palmeiro. Mize. Cano. Gwynn. Lofton. Nettles. Clarke. Snider. Goslin. Utley. McCovey. Ashburn. BWilliams. Hamilton. Baker. Shoeless. Beckley. Helton. WDavis. Edmonds. Hernandez. Wheat. Abreu. Berra. Ichiro.
Most of the guys ahead of him are Hall of Famers, some of them are not. Ichiro will be. But arguing he’s the greatest left-handed hitter of all time is just a little silly.
Well said(davidcooncee74) Ichiro was a fabulous player, all around, but Jeez I don’t believe he cracks top 10/20 let alone greatest……
Sayonara, Ichiro!
Rose has 4683 professional hits. NPB is closer to AAA then it is MLB. If Suzuki can count those games then Rose should get his minor league stats as well.
schellis………..
Rose all levels PA 17453 AB 15398…..Ichiro all levels PA 14826 AB 13548 I would say there is a bit of a difference.
Rose had 10 seasons of 200+ hits…Ichiro did it in 10 consecutive years. You can take any of Rose’s 10 best years and compare them to Ichiro’s first 10 MLB seasons and it’s clear who was better…Ichiro (Plus as far as anyone knows Ichiro wasn’t bedding 14 year old girls and using “I thought she was 16” as an excuse)
Never said Suzuki wasn’t the better hitter, said that Rose had more hits.
.
schellis
True, you didn’t and at first I was pointing out that Rose needed 2,627 more AB’s to get those 316 extra hits.
Admittedly the rest of my response may have been over the top. It’s reactionary, due to all of the times I have seen people claim that Rose was the greatest hitter ever simply because of the total.
(BTW I am not claiming Ichiro is the GOAT either)
If you’re going to use that absurd argument we might as well just add in all of Ty Cobb’s barnstorming game hits too, if we can find the evidence of them. Cobb played in hundreds of games in the offseasons, against other pro players, Negro League players and semi-pro players.
And also, it appears you’re adding in Rose’s non triple-A hits too. While the NPB is somewhere between triple-A and the majors, nobody would argue that double-A or single-A are remotely close to MLB. or the NPB.. Rose had 429 hits in his minor-league career, none of them at the double-A or triple-A level (he went from A ball to the majors, apparently. .
Nice gesture by MLB, the Japanese League and the Seattle Mariners. To go out on top like that was great as the only blemishes was Ichiro going hitless. Congratulations on a great and classy career. Certainly he belongs in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
The greatest.
Someone else said it, but he should be unanimous in 5 years. As a lifelong Yankees fan, I’m happy that the writers all knew enough to get it right with Mo, but in the end that doesn’t really matter if they go back to getting it wrong.
Guys who are obvious HOFers should be recognized as obvious HOFers by the guys entrusted with voting, and anyone who doesn’t think Ichiro is worthy of their vote probably shouldn’t be allowed to have one.
They got it right with Mo, but it’s unbelievable and pathetic that Mo was the first.
How can anyone not vote for Ichiro, or Jeter, Hopefully there will be a slew of unanimous selections now.
Not giving Griffey 100% already made it a joke.
How the hell did 3 voters not vote for him?
Thanks for the memories Ichiro! Including #3000, some great catches, and the throw that was “something out of star wars.” – Dave Niehaus.
You will be missed.
Story-book stuff!
What a career. Enjoyed watching his excellence.
I like the symmetry of Ichiro’s retirement and the same-day announcement of Mike Trout’s new deal being made official, here and elsewhere. Congratulations, Ichiro… and sustained success to Trout and the other marquee players in his generation.
A class act and a true professional.
Reports indicate that Ichiro Suzuki is retiring with either Sumitomo or Yokohama brand tires.
The greatest pure hitter I’ve ever seen.
Anyone who doesn’t make him a first ballot hall of famer should turn in their press credentials, they aren’t qualified
Thank you, Ichiro! Ichiro ichiban!
One of the classiest guys to play the game.
Thank you very much for showing us how a sports player should be.
Congrats on a Hall of Fame career, Ichiro! You’ll be getting the call no doubt in 2025.
What an amazing career. Congrats Ichiro!
So long!
Congrats on one of the greatest careers in baseball history Ichiro. 4367 hits. 3602 games. You have been an example to players of all ages on and off the field. Next stop Cooperstown. I will be there to see you inducted in 2024.
Absolutely one of a kind. We’ve never seen a player quite like him and we may never see one again. I’m going to watch some Ichiro career highlights tonight to celebrate one of the greatest baseball careers ever. Congrats and happiness to his future endeavors.
Always wondered how many hits Ichiro would have gotten had he started in MLB at 21 or 22. It was an honor to watch you play Mr. Suzuki.
He started playing in Japan at 18.
I want Ichiro to throw the first pitch for the Seattle Mariners home opener every year
Ichiro’s is a great player HOF worthy. But this statement simple isn’t true “Ichiro recorded more professional hits than any player ever.” Pete Rose had 4683 hits in professional baseball.
The HOF is a joke. It’s a class president election with nerdy writers voting for players who were nice to them. Should be a player only vote. I wouldn’t want people who don’t do what I do telling me I’m great at it.
The players have made, by far, the worst Hall of Fame selections. Th writers get it right most of the time. The players suck at doing it.