In 2007, Ichiro Suzuki was asked how many home runs he could hit if he tried to swing for just power. The two-time batting champion, who averaged about 10 home runs per year through that point in the MLB, answered with a shocking figure:
“If I’m allowed to hit .220, I could probably hit 40.”
He never tried because from 2007-19 he only eclipsed the 10 home run mark once. On occasion, during batting practice, fans would see a show of Ichiro cranking the ball over the wall, but it never happened in games. That estimation of quadrupling his average must have been an exaggeration.
Or was it?
At the age of 50, Ichiro hit a home run that smashed through a high school window in Japan. According to MLB.com, the dinger traveled 426 feet, and Ichiro had a wholesome reaction. Video below:
Ichiro 😬😂 pic.twitter.com/PVHciOzGFI
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) November 6, 2023
Ichiro was running through basic drills with the students at Asahikawa Higashi High School in Hokkaido, Japan, when he went yard. According to MLB.com, he hit about 63 pitches and twice cleared a 26-foot-high netting around the building.
Ichiro led the league in total hits seven times and holds two of the top-10 single-season records for hits — including No. 1 overall with 262 in 2004 — but even in his prime, fans didn’t get to experience this. A 26-foot high wall wasn’t enough to stop his ball from traveling well over 400 feet.
