Ichiro Suzuki, best known mononymously as his first name, turned 50 years old on October 22. He’s still got it!
The 10-time MLB All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and future Hall of Famer toed the rubber back home in Japan on Tuesday. Ichiro proceeded to mow through a lineup of high school girls.
Although the Seattle Mariners great played centerfield for the majority of his 19-year career, he was a pitcher as a youngin’ and has been known to return to the mount from time to time. His performance this week is his best yet.
Ichiro threw 116 pitches during a complete-game shutout against a female-only Japanese high school all-star team. He allowed just five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in nine innings while also helping himself out with two hits (including a double) at the dish!
This is actually a pretty common occurence!
Ichiro threw 147 pitches during a similar exhibition game back in 2021, mashed dingers at a local high school practice soon thereafter, and smashed a window with a 425-foot bomb earlier this month. The school even preserved the broken glass for “motivation.”
A legend in his home country, he loves to get involved and get on the diamond as often as he can!
Despite his strong outing, Ichiro was visibly furious on Tuesday after striking out on three pitches.
The girl who struck him out could not wipe the smile off of her face.
Ichiro has never been known for his fastball and topped out at 86mph during his nine-inning outing. That is still pretty significant velocity for a high school team, and his breaking balls are nasty.
The 50-year-old didn’t pitch often in the pros, but he was known for his slider.
How can you not love Ichiro?! Padding stats against high school girls just for fun is an incredible experience for everyone involved.