Ichiro Suzuki: A Storied Career By The Numbers

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (L) greets his teammate Ichiro Suzuki during a game against Oakland Athletics at the Major League Baseball Japan Opening Series in Tokyo on March 21, 2019. – Japanese hit king Ichiro Suzuki announced his retirement on March 21, calling time on a record-breaking career that saw him shatter a host of Major League Baseball milestones.  (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)

Ichiro Suzuki officially announced his retirement on Thursday following the Mariners’ 5-4 win over Oakland in the second game of MLB’s Opening Series at the Tokyo Dome. Ichiro appeared in just 15 games last season before shifting roles as the special assistant to the chairman. He still suited up and had a locker in the Seattle clubhouse but was no longer on the team’s active roster. The Japanese megastar opted to play the two-game set in the country where it all started for him before hanging up the spikes for good.

Ichiro was the active hits leader at the time he called it quits with 3,089, ahead of Albert Pujols (3,082) among current players.

The second-oldest position player to start on opening day behind Julio Franco in 2004, Ichiro will forever have a place in baseball’s record books and eventually among the game’s greats in Cooperstown. In a sport where statistics are treated like gospel, the 45-year-old has several noteworthy numbers attached to his name.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 15: Ichiro Suzuki #51 of the Miami Marlins hits a double during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on June 15, 2016 in San Diego, California. With the hit, Suzuki’s combined career hits in Japan and the major leagues surpassed Pete Rose’s major league record of 4256 career hits. (Photo by Andy Hayt/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)

1: Ichiro’s unofficial spot on baseball’s all-time hits leaderboard. Suzuki collected 1,278 hits over nine seasons with the Orix Blue Wave of Japan’s Pacific League prior to being purchased by Seattle on Nov. 30, 2000, giving him a total unmatched in professional baseball history at 4,367. Pete Rose is MLB’s official hit king with 4,256 in the bigs betweeen 1963-86.

SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 23: Former winners of both MLB Rookie of the Year and MVP award in the same year, Fred Lynn and Ichiro Suzuki #51 of the Miami Marlins visit in the dugout prior to the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on July 23, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Andy Hayt/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)

2: The number of players to win Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season: Ichiro (2001) and Fred Lynn (1975).

3: The number of Pacific League MVP awards Ichiro won between 1992 and 2000.

4: The number of times Ichiro ranked either first or second in batting average across both the American and National Leagues. He won the AL title in his rookie year with a .350 average (.3497), just a smidge behind Colorado’s Larry Walker (.3501). His .372 mark topped all of baseball in 2004, while in 2007 he finished runner-up to White Sox slugger Magglio Ordonez (.363) with a .351 average. Two years later he trailed only Minnesota’s Joe Mauer (.365), hitting .352 in his ninth straight All-Star season.

5: The number of categories in which Ichiro ranks atop Seattle’s franchise all-time list: hits (2,542), batting average (.322), at-bats (7,907), triples (79) and stolen bases (438).

6: The number of outfielders in MLB history to win at least 10 Gold Glove Awards: Roberto Clemente (12), Willie Mays (12), Ken Griffey Jr. (10), Andruw Jones (10), Al Kaline (10) and Ichiro.

7: The number of players in MLB history with at least 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases, a list that includes Ichiro, Lou Brock, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor and Honus Wagner.

8: The number of seasons in which Ichiro had at least 200 hits and scored at least 100 runs. He became just the second player in baseball’s modern era to accomplish this, joining Yankees legend Lou Gehrig.

9(.2): Ichiro’s league-leading WAR figure in 2004, his age-30 season when he ran away with the batting title at .372 with an .869 OPS. He also led the league in at-bats (704), hits (262), intentional walks (19) and putouts as a right fielder (372).

SAN FRANCISCO – JULY 10: Commissioner of Major League Baseball, Allan ‘Bud’ Selig presents American League All-Star Ichiro Suzuki #51 of the Seattle Mariners the MVP trophy after the 78th Major League Baseball All-Star Game at AT&T Park on July 10, 2007 in San Francisco, California. The American League defeated the National League 5-4. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

10: The number of Gold Gloves Ichiro won, most among current players. He was also named to 10 consecutive All-Star teams from 2001-10, tied with Griffey Jr. for the most in club history. He was named All-Star MVP in 2007, notching three hits including the first inside-the-park homer ever in the Midsummer Classic.

Toyota Motor president Akio Toyoda (R) delivers a speech in front of the company’s next generation hybrid vehicle Prius while special guest, baseball star Ichiro Suzuki (L), who plays for Major League Baseball (MLB)’s Miami Marlins, looks on, during a press briefing at the Tokyo Motor Show on October 28, 2015. The Tokyo Motor Show kicked off on October 28 with a focus on cars that drive themselves, eco-friendly technologies, and a concept vehicle with tablet-style touch screens aimed at a digital generation. (

$169 million: Ichiro’s estimated career MLB earnings from the Mariners, Yankees and Marlins combined. This does not factor the millions per year he received from endorsement deals while playing in the United States, much of which came from Japanese companies.