MLB legend Ichiro Suzuki famously played until he was almost 50 years old.
He took care of his body, his diet was strict, and his workout regimens were always top-notch.
You don’t play for that long by chance: there is a lot of work and discipline involved.
If you combine his debut in NPB (Japan’s league) in 1992 with his MLB retirement in 2019, he was an active baseball player for a whopping 27 years.
He made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners at 27 years old, already an accomplished star in Japan.
Even with the late start, Ichiro accumulated 3,089 hits in MLB, a true feat from a legendary player.
He faced so many pitchers that the following bit of data by an MLB analyst isn’t even that surprising.
“#Mariners Ichiro had a hit off 7.86 percent of all players to ever throw even a single pitch in an MLB game,” MLB analyst Ryan Spaeder tweeted.
#Mariners Ichiro had a hit off 7.86 percent of all players to ever throw even a single pitch in an MLB game.
— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) January 29, 2024
We were wrong: it is, indeed, shocking.
Getting a hit off almost eight percent of the players who have thrown a pitch at the MLB level is insane.
The man was a model of sportsmanship and consistency, even though his late-career numbers weren’t particularly great.
During his prime, Ichiro was a contact king, perhaps the most feared hitter in MLB even though he didn’t offer much regarding power.
At his peak, he could easily log 200+ hits, score 100+ runs, and steal 30+ bases while showing some of the best center-field defense in the league.
He is a 10-time MLB All-Star, the 2001 AL Rookie of the Year and MVP, a 10-time Gold Glove award winner, and won the batting crown twice.
In 2004, he hit an MLB-high 262 hits and is a member of the Mariners Hall of Fame.
Ichiro should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer next year.
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