Ichiro Suzuki is swinging into baseball history. He recently became the first Asian-born player elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Now 51, Suzuki paved a trailblazing path to earn that honor. He was a baseball legend in Japan before being recruited by Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2001. He became the first Japanese MLB player to start in a position other than pitcher.
Suzuki, who spent most of his time in the majors playing outfield for the Seattle Mariners, retired in 2019. He broke several MLB records and is one of only seven players to have at least 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases.
His career has inspired dozens of Japanese players, including Shohei Ohtani, a current star on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Suzuki will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in July. “There was a time I didn’t even know if I’d get a chance to play in MLB,” he says. “So what an honor it is for me . . . to be a Hall of Famer.”
—Lisa M. Herrington