Ichiro Suzuki: podcast appearances and interviews

Ichiro Suzuki, born October 22, 1973, is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played for 28 seasons. His career began with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball where he played for nine years, before moving to Major League Baseball with the Seattle Mariners, where he played for 12 years. Suzuki also played for the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins before returning to the Mariners for his final two seasons. Throughout his career, he achieved significant success including winning two World Baseball Classic titles with Japan's national team. Recognized as one of the greatest contact hitters, leadoff hitters, and defensive outfielders in baseball history, Suzuki is regarded as one of the sport's all-time great players. He was a consistent All-Star and Gold Glove winner, receiving 17 consecutive honors, and secured nine league batting titles along with four Most Valuable Player awards. Suzuki won seven consecutive batting titles and three consecutive MVP awards in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. In 2001, he became the first Japanese-born position player to be posted and signed with an MLB club, where he led the American League in batting average and stolen bases, earning Rookie of the Year and MVP honors. Suzuki was also the first MLB player to join the Golden Players Club and was a ten-time All-Star. He set numerous records including the MLB single-season record for hits with 262 and the longest streak of 20 or more hits in a season with seven. In 2016, he achieved his 3,000th MLB hit, becoming the 30th player in history to reach that milestone. With a total of 4,367 professional hits combining Japan and the U.S., Suzuki has the most hits of any player at the top level of baseball. Since retiring in 2019, he has served as the Mariners' special assistant to the chairman. In 2025, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, with the Mariners retiring his number 51 in the same year.