Ichiro Suzuki
LF,RF - - RET
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Greg Johns of MLB.com confirms a report from Kyodo News that Ichiro Suzuki will be retiring from baseball following the conclusion of the Japan Series on Thursday.
Fantasy Impact
This was expected, but it sounds as if Ichiro will officially be making his announcement later today. The 45-year-old has started each of Seattle's two games in Japan this week while also appearing in the exhibition contests they've played over there. The future HOFer is sitting at 3,089 career hits in the majors alone. That doesn't even count the 1,278 hits he accumulated in Japan.
Mariners manager Scott Servais says Ichiro Suzuki will start in Wednesday's Japan Series opener.
Fantasy Impact
Ichiro has been playing right field during exhibition games in Tokyo, and that's presumably where he will play on Wednesday. It's unclear if Ichiro will continue to play once the Mariners return to the United States, but either way this will be a cool moment for the 45-year-old. Ichiro made his MLB debut way back in 2001 and has accumulated 3,089 hits since in the big leagues since then.
Ichiro went 1-for-2 with a two-run single in Seattle's spring training opener versus Oakland.
Fantasy Impact
The 45-year-old isn't expected to have much of an impact on the Mariners this year, but he is aiming to play in the Japan Series in mid-March. The Mariners and A's will square off for two regular season games on March 20-21.
Ichiro Suzuki signed a minor-league deal with the Mariners that will pay him $750,000 if he ends up making the major league roster.
Fantasy Impact
It seems likely that Suzuki will make it back up to the majors early in the season as the Mariners have a series in Japan where they can carry a 28-man roster. Aside from that, it's anyone's guess whether or not he stays up in the majors or returns to the minors.
Ichiro Suzuki went 2-for-3 from the plate with two walks.
Fantasy Impact
Ichiro, 44, has been losing a battle with Father Time. This game raised his BA to .250 and he has yet to get an extra base hit or drive in a run in 36 AB.
