Former Seattle Mariners Manager Shares Incredible Story About Ichiro Suzuki
Former Seattle Mariners outfielder and the franchise's all-time leader in hits, Ichiro Suzuki, is all but guaranteed to hear his name included as one of the 2025 Hall of Fame inductees on Jan. 21.
Suzuki's playing career spanned 28 years including his nine-year stint in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. His longevity and numerous records and accomplishments make him a near-lock to earn a spot in Cooperstown, N.Y. Suzuki's Hall of Fame résumé is so stacked that many analysts and media have assumed that Seattle's hit king could be the second-ever unanimous Hall of Fame selection.
Before the announcement of the latest HOF class, MLB Network shared a video on "X" (formerly known as Twitter) of several former teammates, managers and opponents sharing stories on Suzuki.
One of those former managers was Bob Melvin, who managed the team from 2003-04 and told an amazing story on Suzuki:
"He wanted to play every day. Never wanted to come out of a game and he took that very seriously," Melvin said in the video. "So we were in Chicago and I told him a couple days before 'I'm going to give you a day off.' And he just kind of looked at me and said 'OK.' He's very respectful. So when I went out to the dugout, he was sitting on the bench, in spikes, full uniform, bat next to him, glove in his hand and his knee was going like 100 miles an hour. And I said 'Ich, this is a day off. I want to give you a break today.' He looked at me and just then, a kid walked by with an Ichiro jersey on. And he looked at me and he just kind of nodded his head. At that moment, I just got it. Those off days didn't happen too often after that."
Ichiro Suzuki.
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 21, 2025
An all-time great that never wanted a day off and played the game unlike anyone else.
📺 @baseballhall Election Announcement
🕰️ 4pm ET tomorrow on MLB Network pic.twitter.com/NXKjPCDPHN
Suzuki owns several records including the most single-season career hits (262 in 2004) and the most career hits by a professional baseball player with 4,367.
But his work ethic and commitment to the game was also Hall of Fame-worthy.
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