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50-Year-Old Ichiro Suzuki Uncorked Absolute Laser Throw During Exhibition Game

At 50 years old, Ichiro Suzuki still has a cannon for an arm.

Tim Capurso

Ichiro Suzuki throws the ball from the outfield before the 'Team Ichiro' vs. High School Girls All-Stars Game at the Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō, Japan on Monday.
Ichiro Suzuki throws the ball from the outfield before the 'Team Ichiro' vs. High School Girls All-Stars Game at the Tokyo Dome in Bunkyō, Japan on Monday. /
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During his decorated, 19-year career in MLB, Ichiro Suzuki dazzled with his feats on the diamond. Whether it was his metronome-like consistency as a hitter, (he collected 4,367 hits across 28 seasons between the majors and Japan), his blinding speed on the basepaths, (he stole over 30 bases in a season 10 times), or his incredible defense in the outfield (he won 10 Gold Gloves), Suzuki was seemingly always making a highlight reel.

Well, at 50 years old, Suzuki has done it again.

Before the annual "Team Ichiro" vs. the High School Girls All-Stars Game on Sunday, an exhibition where Suzuki and others take on the best high school girls players at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, a ball was hit to the former Seattle Mariners star in the outfield.

Looking like a man half his age, Suzuki bounded towards the baseball, fielded it and crow-hopped before uncorking a heat-seeking missile of a throw that didn't even bounce on its path to home plate as the crowd let out a gasp.

Truly jaw-dropping stuff from Suzuki.

In the 2023 exhibition game, Suzuki toed the rubber and tossed a complete-game shutout on a whopping 116 pitches, striking out nine batters in the process.

If he keeps playing like this in these showcases, Suzuki may soon be getting phone calls from MLB general managers.

In all seriousness, kudos to Suzuki—and fellow countryman Hideki Matsui, who homered in the contest—for keeping himself in such good shape.

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Tim Capurso

TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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