Mariners: The Five Greatest Ichiro Moments of All Time

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Aug 7, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) reacts back to fans following his career three thousand base for a triple n the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Mariners great Ichiro returns to Seattle tonight with the Miami Marlins and will surely be greeted by a fond cheer at Safeco. Let’s take a look at all the fine Ichiro memories for Seattle over the years.

The Mariners will welcome back one of the greatest players in their history tonight when the Miami Marlins make a rare stop at Safeco Field. Ichiro Suzuki, who broke into the MLB as a 27-year-old rookie in 2001, will surely get a standing ovation by the fans tonight for all the memories he brought us in his 12 years in Seattle.

Let’s look at what I consider the five greatest moments in Ichiro history in a Mariners uniform. They may not be all the record-breakers, but they are certainly the most memorable for me, and I hope you’ll enjoy this self-indulgent walk down memory lane.

Before we get to the five greatest Ichiro moments for the Mariners, I’ll just leave this highlight of his 3,000th Major League hit in August of last year here:

With that triple, Ichiro sealed his case for the Hall of Fame, and when he’s voted into Cooperstown, he’ll become the first Japanese-born player ever to be enshrined in the MLB Hall of Fame. He had an incredible career in Seattle and we got to watch probably the greatest Japanese player ever in the MLB play most of his career at Safeco Field.

Ichiro is also the only Japanese player to win an MVP award in the MLB. He of course won MVP the same year he won Rookie of the Year for the 2001 Mariners–AKA, the best team in the history of baseball.

With his greatness in the context of Japanese players in the MLB in mind, let’s take a look at my fifth-favorite Ichiro moment:

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