Franchise icon plays in scrimmage to help Mariners prepare for playoff run 

It's unknown how exactly Suzuki performed, but it doesn't really matter. Just having a legend like Suzuki around is a benefit to a young team as they prepare for their first postseason since 2022.

And unlike when the Mariners broke the franchise's long postseason drought three years ago, this 2025 team has pressure to embark on a deep run through October, something Seattle baseball fans haven't experienced since Suzuki's historic rookie season 24 years ago. 

Back in 2001, Suzuki set the baseball world on fire and became an instant sensation by winning both the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP. Led by Suzuki's 242 hits and .350 batting average, the Mariners broke MLB's single-season record for wins in a regular season with 116. However, that team's year ended with disappointment.

Looking back at Ichiro Suzuki's career

The 2001 Mariners failed to reach the World Series, losing to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, much the same way a Seattle team without Suzuki did in the year prior as well. 

So as much as Suzuki can always provide his advice on hitting and fielding, he can also explain how a great regular season doesn't guarantee anything once the playoffs get underway. Suzuki's career can also serve as a lesson about needing to seize an opportunity as well. 

Suzuki played 19 MLB seasons after a stellar career in Japan. And in those 10 years, Suzuki recorded 3,089 hits, posted a career .311 batting average, a .355 on-base percentage and a .757 OPS. He was a 10-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, three-time Silver Slugger, a Rookie of the Year, an MVP and registered an overall bWAR of 60.0. 

Suzuki was inducted into both the Baseball Hall of Fame and Mariners Hall of Fame this summer. 

However, Suzuki only reached the postseason twice, in 2001 and then again over a decade later in 2012 with the Yankees. Suzuki was never able to put his skills on display in a World Series. 

The Mariners, who are awaiting the winner of the series between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers, are in October after a 90-72 season that saw Seattle capture the franchise's first division title since Suzuki's 2001 team.