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Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木一朗, Suzuki Ichirō, born October 22, 1973 in Kasugai, Japan) is a right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. After much success in Japan's Pacific League, he has had even greater success during his career in Major League Baseball. As of 2004 he is having his most impressive season yet.
Ichiro bats left-handed and throws right-handed. He is the first Japanese-born position player (i.e., non-pitcher) to play in Major League Baseball.
Career in Japan
In 1992, at the age of 18, Ichiro made his debut in the outfield with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League. He joined a team with several other Suzukis; this led him to put his given name (イチロー in katakana) on his uniform.
In 1994, he had a remarkable year, setting a Japanese single-season record with 210 hits and threatening to become the first player in Japan to bat .400. It was the first of a record seven consecutive seasons in which he led the league in batting average.
He was a three-time Most Valuable Player in the Pacific League.
Career in the United States
After the 2000 season, in which Ichiro posted his best batting average yet (.387), the Seattle Mariners purchased the rights to his contract. He had a remarkable 2001 season, with 242 hits (the most by any player since 1930) and a league-leading .350 batting average. He won the American League Most Valuable Player and the Rookie of the Year awards. He became only the second player in MLB history (after Fred Lynn) to win MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. Ichiro also has been a three-time Gold Glove winner between 2001 and 2003.
On October 1, 2004, Ichiro Suzuki surpassed George Sisler's 84-year-old record of 257 hits in a single season, with 259 hits and two games remaining in the season. With this record Ichiro will likely go down in American baseball history with the all-time greats.
Continuing the custom he began in Japan, he uses his given name on the back of his uniform, becoming the first and so far only player in Major League Baseball to do so.
2004 record-setting season
Ichiro has had a record-setting 2004 season:
- July 13: For the fourth consecutive year, Ichiro was in the American League starting lineup in the All-Star Game.
- August 26: With a home run off of Kansas City Royals reliever Jeremy Affeldt, Ichiro became the first player in Major League history to reach 200 hits in each of his first four seasons.
- August 28: He became the first player in MLB history to have three 50-hit months in a single season.
- September 17: He broke the major league record with his 199th single of the season in the seventh. Ichiro bettered the mark of 198 set by Lloyd Waner of Pittsburgh in 1927.
- October 1: Ichiro got his 258th and 259th hits, breaking the record set by George Sisler with the St. Louis Browns in 1920. His 257th hit also set the Major League record for most hits over any four-year span, with 919.
External links
ja:イチロー
ko:스즈키 이치로
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