Ichiro Suzuki

Quotes From Suzuki
"If I'm allowed to bat .220, I could probably hit 40. But nobody wants that." — Ichiro, on being a home run hitter

All-Time Rankings
Ichiro Suzuki ranks #24 among the Top 50 all-time at RF. Rankings ⇒

Best Season: 1994
Less than twenty-one years old, Suzuki set Japanese League records for hits (210) and batting (.385). He also led the loop in slugging, on-base percentage, doubles, and runs scored. In 2000 he broke his own record for batting, when he hit .387 and won his seventh straight batting title.

Factoids
Through 2004, Ichiro owned a career .393 batting average for the month of May, stretching over 107 games.

Through 2004, the left-handed hitting Ichiro Suzuki owned a career .361 average against lefties in the big leagues, while he was hitting .329 against right-handers.

In 2004, Ichiro Suzuki hit .405 on the road for the Mariners. He became the first player to hit .400 on the road in a full season, since 1958.

Full Bio
Ichiro Suzuki was born on October 22, 1973, in Kasugai in Aichi prefecture in Japan. When he was three years old, he started to play with a ball and bat. When Suzuki was eight years old he insisted he wanted to play baseball, so he became a member of the baseball club in Kasugai. His father also became the manager of the club. However, the activity was only on Sundays, so he decided to practice baseball with his father on weekdays. For four years they continued to practice together every day. When he was in high school, Suzuki participated twice in "Koshien" which is the National High School Baseball Tournament in Japan.

When Suzuki finished high school in 1991, the Orix Blue Wave drafted him in the fourth round. He began his career with the minor league Blue Wave in 1992, hitting .366 in 58 games before he was called up to the majors where he batted .253 in 40 games. In 1993 he split time between the two clubs, hitting .371 with eight home runs in 48 games in the minors, while batting .188 with one homer in 64 at-bats with the major league Blue Wave.

Suzuki was named Pacific League Most Valuable Player and won his first league batting title in 1994, hitting .385 and setting a Japanese baseball record with 210 hits in just 130 games. That year he reached base safely in 69 consecutive games from May 21 through August 26.

The fleet outfielder led the Pacific League with a career-high 49 stolen bases in 1995, was named League Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year, and set a career-high with 25 home runs. In 1996, Suzuki won the MVP award for a third straight season, again pacing the Japanese loop in batting. The Blue Wave won the pennant that year and went on to defeat the Yomiuri Giants in the championship series.

In 1997, Akira Ogi became the manager of the Blue Wave and changed the name on the back of Ichiro's uniform to "Ichiro" from "Suzuki", which was unique. At first, Ichiro was embarrassed by the attention that the move caused, however as his fans grew fond of it, the modest Suzuki accepted it. That year he went a Japanese-record 216 straight plate appearances without striking out from April 16 to June 25. In 1998, the Blue Wave won the Pacific League pennant as Ichiro garnered his fifth straight batting title. Suzuki's 1999 season was cut short after breaking the ulna bone in his right hand when he was hit by a pitch in late August, yet he still led the league in average (.343) for a sixth straight season. The lefty-swinger collected his 1,000th hit on April 20 against the Nippon Ham Fighters in the Tokyo Dome, and hit his 100th home run on July 6 against the Seibu Lions.

In 2000, Ichiro was again sidelined when he strained a right rib cage muscle on August 28, but he still managed to lead the league in on-base percentage for the fifth time in his career with a .460 mark. He was also named to the Pacific League "Best Nine" end-of-season All-Star Team for the seventh consecutive year, and earned his seventh-straight Gold Glove Award. In the off-season, buoyed by the success of Kazuhiro Sasaki's signing, the Seattle Mariners negotiated with Orix to purchase Ichiro's contract. After weeks of discussions, a deal was struck and Ichiro became a Mariner, signing for more than $13 million.

With his silky-smooth, graceful style and fundamentally-sound play, Ichiro quickly became a sensation in the United States. The 2001 Mariners rolled to an amazing 116 victories, sparked by Ichiro's 242 hits from the leadoff spot. On the basepaths, Ichiro swiped 56 bases to lead the American League. At the end of the year, Ichiro had won the batting title, his eighth consecutive league batting crown. To the surprise of some experts who were expecting slugger Jason Giambi to win the honor, Ichiro was named Most Valuable Player, as well as Rookie if the Year. Unfortunately, the Mariners failed to make it to the World Series, losing to the New York Yankees in the ALCS. In the first-round against Cleveland, Ichiro hit a blistering .600 (12-for-12) with two stolen bases.

In his sophomore season in the U.S., Ichiro kept rolling in 2002, batting .321 (fourth in the league) with 208 hits and 31 stolen bases. In 2003, the lean, left-handed slap hitter increased his power numbers, swatting 13 homers and topping the 200-hit mark for a third straight year, with 212. His .312 average ranked seventh in the AL. Defensively, Ichiro earned Gold Glove Awards in each of his first three seasons, displaying great range and a powerful arm from right field.

In 2004, Ichiro got off to a slow start, hitting .255 in the first month of the season. But in May he reeled off a 15-game hitting streak (29-for-69, .420) and vaulted his average well over the .300-mark. In July he hit .432 (51-for-118) as he became the first player to collect as many as 50 hits in a month twice in one season. Amazingly, he kept going in August, topping the 50-hit mark for a third time, with 56, as he batted an incredible .463. As the season wore on, Ichiro gained control of the batting race, as he sped his way to his second AL batting title, and his ninth overall batting crown. As the season came to a conclusion, Ichiro added one more record to his ledger, breaking George Sisler's 84-year old mark for most hits in a season (257). Ichiro collected an amazing 262 hits for the 2004 season.

Best Season, Major Leagues
As a "rookie," Ichiro banged out 242 hits, setting a record for first-year players. He won the AL Most Valuable Player Award in a controversial decision, beating out Jason Giambi and teammate Bret Boone. Ichiro played 157 games, scored 127 runs, drove in 69, and led the loop in hitting with a .350 average. He also paced the league with 56 stolen bases. His range in the outfield and his cannon arm earned him a Gold Glove Award. The Mariners, spurred by his production from the top of their order, set an AL-record with 116 victories.

Born
Suzuki was born on October 22, 1973, in Kasugai

Batted:  Left
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  RF

Primary Team:  SEA

... Ichiro batted leadoff, collected two singles, and scored a run in the Mariners 5-4 victory over the Athletics.

Nicknames
The Japanese Jet

Just plain "Ichiro," which he received special permission to have on the back of his jersey.

Uniform Numbers
#51 (2001-)

Similar Players
Rod Carew and Wade Boggs (bat control), Brett Butler (bunting and baserunning), and Dwight Evans (arm).

Related Players
Kazuhiro Sasaki and Hideo Nomo, two other Japanese stars who came to the United States... Ichiro broke Joe Jackson's record for most hits by a rookie... George Sisler

Post-Season Appearances
2001 American League Championship Series
2001 American League Divisional Series

Awards and Honors
2001 AL Gold Glove
2001 AL MVP
2001 AL Rookie of the Year
2002 AL Gold Glove
2003 AL Gold Glove
2004 AL Gold Glove

Feats
In both May (50) and July (51) of 2004, Ichiro collected at least 50 hits, becoming the first player in history to accomplish that feat. In August, he banged out 56 hits and batted .463... On September 30, 2005, Ichiro went 4-for-5 to reach the 200-hit mark and become the first player to reach 200 hits in his first five seasons.

Notes
Had a 25-game hitting streak from May 7 to June 1, 2007. He batted .402 (45-for-112) during the streak and raised his season average from .260 to .338 in the process.

Hitting Streaks
25 games (2007)
23 games (2001)
21 games (2001)
21 games (2004)
20 games (2006)
19 games (2003)
16 games (2004)

Transactions
November 30, 2000: Purchased by the Seattle Mariners from the Orix Blue Wave of the Japanese Pacific League.

Home Run Facts
Suzuki hit his first professional home run on June 12, 1993, off the Kinetsu Buffalos' Hideo Nomo.

All-Star Selections
2001 AL
2002 AL
2003 AL
2004 AL
2005 AL

Replaced
Jay Buhner

Best Strength as a Player
Bat control, and speed.

Largest Weakness as a Player
None

Learn More about Ichiro Suzuki
Search Amazon.com for Books about Ichiro Suzuki ⇒
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View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒