After a season where the Mariners came just short of a playoff berth, the team is turning to a club legend to provide some extra magic to start the 2022 campaign.
Ichiro Suzuki will toss out the ceremonial first pitch during Seattle’s home opener on April 15 before the Mariners take on the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park. Ichiro, who will be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame in August, spent parts of 14 seasons with Seattle, earning All-Star nods in each of his first 10. He was awarded both the 2001 AL MVP Award and Rookie of the Year Award with a record-setting first season in MLB, leading the AL with a .350 average and the Majors with 242 hits.
Ichiro will be the 10th member inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame later this season. He will join Baseball Hall of Famers Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Dave Niehaus, as well as club legends Alvin Davis, Jay Buhner, Dan Wilson, Lou Piniella and Jamie Moyer. He may very well join Johnson, Martinez, Griffey and Niehaus in Cooperstown, N.Y., soon, as he is eligible for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025.
Ichiro is widely regarded as baseball's international hits king. His 4,367 hits between MLB and the Japan Pacific League are the most for any player internationally.
Serving as an instructor and special assistant to the chairman with the Mariners, Ichiro has been around the team since his retirement in 2019, when the team gave him the opportunity to play his final game in Tokyo during its March series with the Oakland A’s.