Even at the age of 50, MLB legend Ichiro Suzuki is still finding his way onto a baseball field. On Tuesday, Ichiro took the mound and racked up strikeouts in a game against a Japanese high school girls team.
Ichiro made his pitching debut all the way back in 2015 when he was a member of the Miami Marlins. He threw just one inning against the Philadelphia Phillies, surrendering two hits and one earned run. Ichiro has continued pitching since retiring from baseball, and his lifetime numbers improved a bit on Tuesday.
In his matchup against the high school team, Ichiro threw 116 pitches en route to a complete game shutout and nine strikeouts. Ichiro also went 2-for-5 at the plate with a double.
50-year-old Ichiro Suzuki pitched a complete-game shutout on 116 pitches against a high school girls team today. He had nine strikeouts, topping out at 86 MPH
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 21, 2023
He went 2-for-5 at the plate with a double pic.twitter.com/p1Mu1PiOWN
This is not the first time Ichiro has mowed through a high school lineup. In 2021, he pitched in another exhibition against a high school girls All-Star team. In that matchup, he threw 147 pitches and struck out 17 batters.
Ichiro last played in the MLB in 2019 and walked away as one of the best hitters of all time. he posted a career batting average of .311 with 3,089 hits, 117 home runs, and 780 RBIs.
Ichiro will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2025, and those numbers should get him in without much issue. In the meantime, he'll probably keep working on his pitching.
