Wearing his iconic No. 51 jersey at the Seattle Mariners' home ground for the first time since he retired in Tokyo on March 21, Ichiro Suzuki began his new position as an instructor on Wednesday.
The 45-year-old Suzuki will work with hitters, outfielders and baserunners at Seattle's T-Mobile Park and with the Mariners' Triple-A club in nearby Tacoma, Washington state. He has been a special assistant to the Mariners' chairman since the club released him in May 2018.
Suzuki rejoined the team on a minor league contract this past spring and was on the major league roster when it was expanded for the Mariners' two games at Tokyo Dome to open the season against the Oakland Athletics.
On Wednesday, Suzuki threw about 100 batting practice pitches before the Mariners' interleague game against the Chicago Cubs, and quipped he could have thrown about 300.
As the teams changed sides after the top of the second inning, the Mariners flashed highlights of Suzuki's playing career on the stadium's big screen. As the Cubs players took their places on the field for the bottom of the inning, some of them gestured signs of respect toward Suzuki, who responded by making a fist with his right hand and tapping it to his left breast.
"That was yet another special moment," Suzuki said. "That's something that doesn't happen every day."
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