Arguably one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, Ichiro Suzuki, is finally hanging up his cleats at the young age of 44 years old.
The once in a generation talent came over from Japan at the age of 27 and immediately took Major League Baseball by storm, winning the Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, Rookie of the Year and MVP in his first season.
The future Hall-of-Famer who played for the Mariners, Yankees, and Marlins finished his career with over 3,000 hits to go along with 10 Gold Gloves and 10 All-Star appearances.
But Ichiro's impact went far beyond his stats and accomplishments, so lets take a moment to appreciate some moments and stories you may not know about Ichiro's career that helped write his endearing legacy.
1. Like back in 1995 when a giddy 22-year-old Ichiro Suzuki came to the U.S. to meet Michael Jordan while wearing a Tom and Jerry turtleneck sweater.
2. When he sat down for an interview with Bob Costas and revealed his hilariously vulgar favorite American expression.
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"August in Kansas City is hotter than two fucking rats in a wool sock."
3. He learned Spanish during his time in the MLB so he could talk shit to opposing players.
4. In 2015 at the age of 41, Ichiro pitched one inning of relief for the Miami Marlins.
The only swing & miss of Ichiro's career
He gave up two hits and one earned run, but he did get this swing and miss against Freddy Galvis.
5. When he initially came to the U.S. a reporter asked the name of his dog and he replied, "I do not have the dog's permission."
6. One of the first records Ichiro ever bought was by Snoop Dogg, and in his Miami Beach home he had a life-size picture of the West Coast rapper.
7. He sent a hand written note to a fan who kept track of his total hits between his professional career in Japan and in the MLB.
8. He befriended Negro Leagues legend Buck O'Neil and when O'Neil passed away Ichiro personally donated to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in his memory.
9. Despite the language barrier Ichiro was known for giving legendary excessively vulgar pregame speeches at the All-Star game.
10. He claimed Ken Griffey Jr. was his hero — just like the rest of us.
Ichiro was a once-in-a-lifetime player who transcended the game, and as his former teammate Derek Jeter said "we probably won't see anyone like him again."
