Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki hits during an exhibition against the Yomiuri Giants on March 18, 2019, at Tokyo Dome. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Seattle Mariners Share Mind-Blowing Fact About Team Legend Ichiro Suzuki

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Teren Kowatsch | Last updated Nov 28, 2024 5:15 PM ET

The Seattle Mariners will undoubtedly have another team legend headed for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown when the 2025 class gets announced Jan. 21, 2025.

Ichiro Suzuki is a lock for the Hall of Fame, which has its induction ceremonies in July. Felix Hernandez is also on the ballot for the first time, though he'll have a tougher road to Cooperstown.

Suzuki owns several records and is among the greatest Japanese-born players to ever play in the majors.

Suzuki owns the single-season record for hits, which he set in 2004 with 262. He also has more career hits than any other professional baseball player ever, including his nine years with Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (4,367). He's also one of two players ever to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season, which he accomplished in his stateside debut in 2001.

OTD in 2004, Ichiro broke George Sisler's 84-year record for most hits in a season.

He would end with 262 hits that season, a mark that might never be bested. pic.twitter.com/j7WLn1lGtW
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) October 1, 2021

Seattle's PR team shared another stat on "X" (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday that will definitely help Suzuki with his Hall of Fame case.

Per the tweet, in 2001, Suzuki singled in his 10th career plate appearance to bring his batting average to .300. From that point through Suzuki's retirement in 2019, his career batting average never dipped below .300. He had 10,724 plate appearances after he brought his batting average to that mark in his rookie season.

In his 10th career plate appearance, Ichiro Suzuki singled to bring his career average to .300. In his final 10,724 @MLB plate appearances, Ichiro’s career batting average never dropped below .300. #IchiroHOF pic.twitter.com/6l2WHmWFZz
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) November 27, 2024

Suzuki has a career batting average of .311, the highest mark for a major league player who debuted after 2000.

The Mariners have seen three legends inducted in the Hall of Fame over the last decade: Randy Johnson in 2015, Ken Griffey Jr. in 2016 and Edgar Martinez in 2019. Griffey Jr. and Martinez both don Mariners caps on their plaques, while Johnson does not.

Suzuki will as well, despite that he played for the Marlins and Yankees also.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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