ichiro suzuki

Ichiro in his pre-swing pose Seattle Mariners — No. 51 Right fielder Born: October 22, 1973 (1973-10-22) (age 35)

Kasugai, Japan Bats: Left Throws: Right Professional debut NPB: July 11, 1992 for the Orix BlueWave MLB: April 2, 2001 for the Seattle Mariners Selected MLB statistics

(through 2008 season) Batting average .331 Hits 1,805 Runs 885 Runs batted in 469 Stolen bases 315 Slugging percentage .430 Teams Orix BlueWave (1992-2000) (NPB) Seattle Mariners (2001-present) Career highlights and awards 8x All-Star selection (2001-2008) 8x Gold Glove Award winner (2001-2008) 2x Silver Slugger Award winner (2001, 2007) 2x Batting Champion (2001, 2004) 2001 AL MVP 2001 AL Rookie of the Year 2007 MLB All-Star Game MVP Single-season major league record with 262 hits Medal record Competitor for Japan Men’s Baseball World Baseball Classic Gold 2006 San Diego Team Gold 2009 Los Angeles Team

Ichiro Suzuki (?? ?? ,Suzuki Ichiro?), often known simply as Ichiro (???? ,Ichiro?), (born October 22, 1973 in Kasugai, Nishikasugai, Aichi Prefecture, Japan) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Seattle Mariners.

Ichiro moved to the United States in 2001 after playing nine years for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League. When the Blue Wave posted him after the 2000 season, Ichiro's rights were won by the Seattle Mariners and he signed a contract with them. He became the first Japanese-born everyday position player in the major leagues.

In 2001, Ichiro finished first in batting average and stolen bases, the first player to accomplish this feat since Jackie Robinson. He set several MLB records in 2004, including a single-season Major League record with 262 hits. He has won a Gold Glove award in each of his first eight years in the majors as an outfielder.

Ichiro is the first MLB player to join Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (The Golden Players Club). He was also selected the 2007 All Star Game MVP, going three for three and hitting the event's first ever inside-the-park home run.

Through the 2008 season, Ichiro has the second highest career batting average among active players. At .331, he trails only Albert Pujols (.334) of the St. Louis Cardinals. Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Career in Japan 3 Career in Major League Baseball 3.1 Record-setting 2004 season 3.2 2005 season 3.3 Inaugural World Baseball Classic 3.4 2006 season 3.5 2007 season 3.6 2008 season 3.7 2009 World Baseball Classic 3.8 Career earnings 4 Career statistics 4.1 Nippon Professional Baseball 4.2 Major League Baseball 5 Batting style 6 Awards in Japan 7 Personal life 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links //

Early life

At age seven, Ichiro joined his first baseball team and asked his father, Nobuyuki Suzuki (Suzuki Nobuyuki), to teach him to be a better player. The two began a daily routine which included throwing 50 pitches, fielding 50 infield balls and 50 outfield balls,