Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez Share Ichiro Suzuki Memories After Retirement Announcement
Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Thursday after the Opening Series against the A's in Japan.
Suzuki received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Tokyo Dome as he exited the game in the eighth inning. Several of his teammates met Ichiro at the dugout to hug him, including Ken Griffey Jr. and Yusei Kikuchi, who cried over his idol's departure.
After the game, tributes to Ichiro began pouring in on social media. Hall of Famers Griffey and Edgar Martinez said they are looking forward to Ichiro hopefully joining them in Cooperstown in the future.
After he transitioned to a front office role last year, Sports Illustrated's Jack Dickey commemorated Ichiro's brilliant career. The Mariners star retires as one of the premier hitters in MLB history. He is one of two players with 3,000 hits beginning in their age-27 season, joining all-time hit leader Pete Rose. Ichiro holds the single-season hits record, recording 262 hits in 2004 to beat George Sisler's 84-year record.
