Former Yankees outfielder and Mariners legend Ichiro Suziki retired after Thursday's game in Japan, the Mariners announced in a statement.
"I have achieved so many of my dreams in baseball, both in my career in Japan and, since 2001, in Major League Baseball," Ichiro said in a statement. "I am honored to end my big league career where it started, with Seattle, and think it is fitting that my last games as a professional were played in my home country of Japan."
Ichiro, 45, played in only 15 games last year before he stopped playing, only to return for Seattle's two-game regular-season series at Tokyo Dome. He went 0-for-4 on Thursday before he was removed from the game, leaving the field to a standing ovation.
Legend. pic.twitter.com/CgnaEpmLYP
- Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 21, 2019
Nothing but respect. #MLB開幕戦 pic.twitter.com/3U7Y4czCmG
- MLB (@MLB) March 21, 2019
Heroes get remembered. #MLB開幕戦 pic.twitter.com/Wv5eRpzOPE
- MLB (@MLB) March 21, 2019
Including Thursday's game, Ichiro spent 19 years playing playing with three MLB teams after he started as an 18-year-old with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan.
A former MVP and 10-time Gold Glover, Suzuki recorded 3,089 hits in the U.S. and finishes his career with a .311 batting average. He led the majors in hits seven times, breaking the MLB record with 262 hits in 2004.
He spent two and a half seasons with the Yankees from 2012 to 2014 after a mid-season trade. With New York, he hit .281/.314/.364 with 13 home runs and 84 RBIs and 49 stolen bases in 360 games.
He played three seasons with the Marlins as well, but his MLB career is most known for his time with the Mariners, the MLB team he first joined and ended his career with.
Including his playing time in Japan, Ichiro recorded 4,367 hits, 111 hits more than the MLB hit king Pete Rose.