IN PHOTOS: Baseball star Ichiro Suzuki's career highlights

Japanese superstar Ichiro Suzuki announced his retirement on Thursday. Let's take a look back on some of the highlights of his 28-year career in professional baseball.

1991:

(Ichiro, top left, attends a press conference in Kobe for Orix BlueWave rookie players in December 1991)

1994:

(Ichiro and his signature "pendulum" swing, as pictured here during a game in Kobe in 1994)

(Ichiro celebrates in September 1994 after becoming the first player in Japanese baseball history to have 200 hits in a season)

1999:

(Ichiro makes his 1,000th career hit in Japanese baseball at Tokyo Dome in April 1999)

2000:

(Ichiro shakes hands with his mentor and Orix BlueWave manager Akira Ogi after his final game with the team in Kobe in October 2000)

(Ichiro is introduced by the Seattle Mariners in Kyoto as a new aquisition in November 2000)

2001:

(Ichiro gets his first major league career hit in Seattle in April 2001)

2004:

(Ichiro drives his record-breaking 258th hit of the season in Seattle in October 2004)

2005:

(Ichiro gets his 1,000th major league career hit in June 2005)

2006:

(Ichiro holds the World Baseball Classic champion trophy in March 2006, when Japan became the inagural WBC champion)

2007:

(Ichiro smiles with his All-Star Game MVP trophy in July 2007)

2010:

(Ichiro reaches 200 hits for the 10th consecutive season in the major league in September 2010)

2015:

(Ichiro makes his first major league pitching appearance during a Miami Marlins game against the Philadelphia Phillies in October 2015)

2016:

(Ichiro celebrates reaching his 4,257th hit for his professional career in Japan and the United States combined in June 2016, surpassing the total of MLB career hit leader Pete Rose)