Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro Suzuki, also known mononymously as Ichiro, is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played professionally for 28 seasons. The first nine years of his career were spent with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). In 2001, Suzuki became the first Japanese-born position player to be posted and signed to a Major League Baseball (MLB) club, spending his first 12 years with the Seattle Mariners. Suzuki then played two and a half seasons for the New York Yankees and three with the Miami Marlins before returning to the Mariners for his final two seasons in the league. After his retirement, he became the Seattle Mariners special assistant to the chairman in 2019.

During his combined time playing for the NPB and MLB, Suzuki received 17 consecutive selections as an All-Star and Gold Glove winner, won nine league batting titles, and was named most valuable player (MVP) four times. He won two World Baseball Classic titles for the Japanese national team. He led the American League (AL) in batting average and stolen bases en route to being named AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP. He was also the first MLB player to enter the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. His success has been credited with opening the door for other Japanese players in MLB.

Suzuki was the honored chairman of the Ichiro Cup, the 24th and final tournament being held in 2019 with 180 teams of elementary school-aged children in Japan. He participates in an All-Star game in Japan that was set up to encourage Japanese girls to play baseball.

In 2022, Suzuki was the first Asian player inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame. He became the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025.