Fans of Ichiro Suzuki gave the legendary veteran a sustained standing ovation as he left the field for the final time in a game appropriately played in Japan.
ESPN reports Ichiro left the game in the eighth inning in a regular season game played between his Seattle Mariners and the Oakland A’s in Tokyo. He had told the Mariners before the game that he would retire.
You can watch video of the tribute given to him by both fans and players in the tweet below. The ovation lasted a good five minutes.
According to the Sporting News, the outfielder ran out to the field in the eighth inning alone. At that point, Seattle manager Scott Servais stopped the game to allow everyone to give Suzuki the proper send off.
In 19 seasons, he averaged an incredible batting average of .311. He had 3089 base hits and 509 stolen bases. He is easily the most beloved Japanese player ever to play in Major League Baseball.
In his final game, the 45-year-old had no base hits in four at bats. It wasn’t the way he wanted to go out, but his reputation remains untarnished.
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