Ichiro Suzuki - Baseball Outfielder, Family and Facts
Ichiro Suzuki's Personal Details
Ichiro Suzuki is an accomplished Japanese professional baseball outfielder
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | October 22, 1973 |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Famous | Sportspersons, Baseball Players, Baseball Outfielder |
| Spouses | Yumiko Fukushima (m. 1999) |
| Siblings | Kazuyasu Suzuki |
| Known as | Ichiro |
| Universities |
|
| Birth Place | Toyoyama, Aichi Prefecture |
| Height | 180 |
| Gender | Male |
| Father | Nobuyuki Suzuki |
| Mother | Yoshie Suzuki |
| Sun Sign | Libra |
| Born in | Toyoyama, Aichi Prefecture |
| Famous as | Baseball Outfielder |
Ichiro Suzuki's photo
Who is Ichiro Suzuki?
Ichiro Suzuki is an accomplished Japanese professional baseball outfielder who has made his mark in both the ‘Nippon Professional Baseball’ (NPB) in Japan and the ‘Major League Baseball’ (MLB) in the US. Presently a free agent, Ichiro made his ‘NPB’ debut in July 1992 for the ‘Orix BlueWave’ and played for the team for nine seasons. His ‘NPB’ career has witnessed many feats, such as seven consecutive ‘All-Star’ appearances, three ‘Most Valuable Player’ (MVP) awards, seven ‘Golden Glove’ awards, seven ‘Best Nine’ awards, three ‘Matsutaro Shoriki’ awards, and three ‘Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize’ wins. He made his ‘MLB’ debut in April 2001, for the ‘Seattle Mariners,’ and with this, he became the first ever Japanese-born position player signed with an ‘MLB’ team. He played for the ‘Seattle Mariners’ for twelve seasons and thereafter, joined the ‘New York Yankees’ for two and a half seasons. Following this, he joined the ‘Miami Marlins.’ This ace outfielder set several ‘MLB records,’ including 262 hits in a single season, ten consecutive 200-hit seasons, the most number of hits in interleague play, and the most number of hits by a foreign-born player. His ‘MLB’ accomplishments include ten consecutive ‘MLB All-Star’ appearances, the ‘Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, the ‘Rookie of the Year Award,’ ten consecutive ‘Gold Glove’ awards, and three ‘Silver Slugger’ awards among others. His combined major league career, including the ‘NPB’ and the ‘MLB’ has seen him accumulating the most hits that any player in any top-tier professional league has ever achieved in the history of the game.
// Famous Baseball Players
Ted Williams
Ted Williams was an American baseball player. Read this biography to learn more about his profile, childhood, life and timeline.
Jaden Gil Agassi
Jaden Gil Agassi is an American junior baseball player and the first child of legendary tennis couple Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. Check out this biography to know about his birthday, childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente was a professional Puerto Rican baseball player, who is regarded among the best baseball players ever. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and other facts related to his life.
Childhood & Early Life
He was born on October 22, 1973, in Aichi, Japan, to Nobuyuki and Yoshie Suzuki. He became part of a junior baseball team at the age of seven and would often practice with his father. At the age of 12, he was determined to become a professional baseball player, and with this, his training sessions with his dad became more stringent and uncompromising.
He studied at the ‘Aikodai Meiden High School,’ in Nagoya, Japan. The school had a prestigious baseball program. His remarkably strong arm led him to predominantly play as a pitcher, rather than an outfielder, in his high school team. While in high school, he garnered a cumulative batting average of .505 with 19 home runs.
Unfortunately, his small built and light frame overshadowed his impressive high school numbers while being considered by teams. This saw him being drafted only in the fourth and the final round of the November 1991 professional draft.
Career
He made his ‘NPB’ debut with one of the two six-team circuits of the ‘NPB,’ the ‘Pacific League’ (PL), on July 11, 1992, for the ‘Orix BlueWave.’ His first few seasons were mostly spent in the farm system, as Shōzō Doi, the then-manager, disapproved of his unconventional swing that was nicknamed “pendulum.”
With the arrival of the new manager, Akira Ōgi, in 1994, Ichiro got the opportunity to play in the second spot of the line-up every day. He made his first ‘NPB All-Star Game’ appearance that year and continued for the next six years, till 2000.
He garnered 210 hits in a 130-game season, thereby emerging as the first player to top 200 hits in a single season and setting a Japanese single-season record. He also set a new ‘PL’ record with his batting average of .385 that won him the first of his seven consecutive ‘PL’ batting champion titles (1994–2000) in 1994. He garnered the ‘NPB Most Valuable Player’ (MVP) award for three years in a row, starting from 1994.
Eventually, this ace baseball player earned the reputation of being the “Hit Manufacturing Machine.” Other ‘NPB’ accomplishments of Ichiro include seven ‘Golden Glove’ awards (1994–2000), seven ‘Best Nine’ awards (1994–2000), three ‘Matsutaro Shoriki’ awards (1994–1995, 2004), and three ‘Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize’ wins (1994–1995, 2001).
His ‘NPB’ statistics stand at a batting average of .353, 1,278 hits, 118 home runs, 529 runs batted in, 658 runs, and 199 stolen bases. He participated in an exhibition series during the 1996 season, against a visiting team of ‘Major League All-Stars.’ It was during this time that he developed a passion to play in ‘MLB’ in the US.
He participated in a 1998 seven-game exhibition series between the Japanese and the American ’All-Stars,’ where he batted .380 and accumulated seven stolen bases, garnering praise from many ‘MLB’ counterparts.
He finally made his ‘MLB’ debut on April 2, 2001, for the ‘Seattle Mariners,’ after signing a three-year, US$14 million contract with the team. He made a rookie-record of 242 hits, the maximum made by an ‘MLB’ player after 1930. He also became the ‘American League’ (AL) batting champion with batting average of .350. He also became the league’s stolen base leader, with 56 stolen bases in that season.
2001 not only turned out to be an extremely fabulous season for Ichiro but also marked the beginning of the exceptionally thriving career of this star player. That season, he made the first of his ten consecutive ‘MLB All-Star’ appearances (2001-2010) and won the ‘Gold Glove’ award, which he went on to win for the next nine seasons in a row, till 2010. The same season, he also won the ‘MLB MVP’ award, the ‘AL Rookie of the Year’ award, and the first of his three ‘Silver Slugger’ awards.
He was the second player in the history of ‘MLB’ to win have won the ‘MVP’ award and the ‘AL Rookie of the Year’ award in the same season and the only player in the history of major league to have garnered these awards along with the ‘Gold Glove’ and the ‘Silver Slugger’ awards in one season.
During the 2004 season, he broke the 1920 record of George Sisler for the most number of hits (257) in a season, with his 262 hits.
He was part of the Japanese national baseball team that won the ‘World Baseball Classic’ in 2006, defeating Cuba in the finals and thereafter, defeating South Korea in the finals in 2009. In 2006, he was part of the ‘All-World Baseball Classic Team’ and won the first of his three ‘Fielding Bible’ awards (2006, 2009, 2010).
He continued setting new milestones and records and extended his association with the ‘Mariners’ with a five-year contract in July 2007.
He became the second-youngest player, after Ty Cobb, to accumulate 3,000 top-level professional hits on July 29, 2008, encompassing 1,278 hits in Japan and 1,722 in the US.
On September 23, 2010, he became the first ‘MLB’ player to attain the 200-hit mark for 10 seasons in a row.
He was traded to the ‘New York Yankees’ by the ‘Mariners’ on July 23, 2012. He became the ‘AL Player of the Week’ for the week ending September 23 that year. On December 19 that year, his two-year deal for $13 million was finalised with the Yankees.
He signed a one-year, US$ 2 million contract with the ‘Miami Marlins’ on January 23, 2015. Moving further, on October 6 that year, he agreed on a one-year, US$2 million contract with the ‘Marlins’ for the 2016 season.
On July 6, 2017, with a total of 3,054 hits, he surpassed Panamanian ‘MLB’ player Rod Carew to become the all-time leader in hits among foreign-born ‘MLB’ players. His ‘MLB’ record through the 2017 season stands at a batting average of .312, 3,080 hits, 117 home runs, 780 runs batted in, 1,415 runs, and 509 stolen bases.
Personal Life
Since 1996, the ‘Ichiro Cup,’ a boys' league tournament named after Ichiro, is held in his hometown and its surrounding areas. Over 200 teams participate in this six-month event. Ichiro serves as its chairman and remains present at the last game and the awards ceremony every year.
On December 3, 1999, he married Yumiko Fukushima in Santa Monica, California. Yumiko worked as a ‘TBS TV’ announcer. They do not have any children.
His father runs the Ichiro exhibition room named "I-fain" in Toyoyama, since November 2000. This exhibition room displays a varied range of his memorabilia.
Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Ichiro donated ¥100 million (US$1.25 million) to the ‘Japanese Red Cross’ toward disaster recovery efforts.
// Famous Sportspersons
Ted Williams
Ted Williams was an American baseball player. Read this biography to learn more about his profile, childhood, life and timeline.
Jürgen Klopp
Jürgen Klopp is a German football manager, and a former professional football player. Check out this biography to know more about his childhood, family, personal life, etc.
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is a retired Chinese basketball player who played for Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.
Ichiro Suzuki's awards
| Year | Name | Award |
|---|---|---|
Other | ||
| 0 | Rawlings Gold Glove Award | |
| 0 | Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award | |
| 0 | Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award | |
| 0 | Kikuchi Kan Prize | |
Ichiro Suzuki biography timelines
- // 1920 To 2004During the 2004 season, he broke the 1920 record of George Sisler for the most number of hits (257) in a season, with his 262 hits.
- // 1930 To 2nd Apr 2001He finally made his ‘MLB’ debut on April 2, 2001, for the ‘Seattle Mariners,’ after signing a three-year, US$14 million contract with the team. He made a rookie-record of 242 hits, the maximum made by an ‘MLB’ player after 1930. He also became the ‘American League’ (AL) batting champion with batting average of .350. He also became the league’s stolen base leader, with 56 stolen bases in that season.
- // 22nd Oct 1973He was born on October 22, 1973, in Aichi, Japan, to Nobuyuki and Yoshie Suzuki. He became part of a junior baseball team at the age of seven and would often practice with his father. At the age of 12, he was determined to become a professional baseball player, and with this, his training sessions with his dad became more stringent and uncompromising.
- // Nov 1991Unfortunately, his small built and light frame overshadowed his impressive high school numbers while being considered by teams. This saw him being drafted only in the fourth and the final round of the November 1991 professional draft.
- // 11th Jul 1992He made his ‘NPB’ debut with one of the two six-team circuits of the ‘NPB,’ the ‘Pacific League’ (PL), on July 11, 1992, for the ‘Orix BlueWave.’ His first few seasons were mostly spent in the farm system, as Shōzō Doi, the then-manager, disapproved of his unconventional swing that was nicknamed “pendulum.”
- // 1994 To 2000With the arrival of the new manager, Akira Ōgi, in 1994, Ichiro got the opportunity to play in the second spot of the line-up every day. He made his first ‘NPB All-Star Game’ appearance that year and continued for the next six years, till 2000.
- // 1996His ‘NPB’ statistics stand at a batting average of .353, 1,278 hits, 118 home runs, 529 runs batted in, 658 runs, and 199 stolen bases. He participated in an exhibition series during the 1996 season, against a visiting team of ‘Major League All-Stars.’ It was during this time that he developed a passion to play in ‘MLB’ in the US.
- // 1996Since 1996, the ‘Ichiro Cup,’ a boys' league tournament named after Ichiro, is held in his hometown and its surrounding areas. Over 200 teams participate in this six-month event. Ichiro serves as its chairman and remains present at the last game and the awards ceremony every year.
- // 1998He participated in a 1998 seven-game exhibition series between the Japanese and the American ’All-Stars,’ where he batted .380 and accumulated seven stolen bases, garnering praise from many ‘MLB’ counterparts.
- // 3rd Dec 1999On December 3, 1999, he married Yumiko Fukushima in Santa Monica, California. Yumiko worked as a ‘TBS TV’ announcer. They do not have any children.
- // Nov 2000His father runs the Ichiro exhibition room named "I-fain" in Toyoyama, since November 2000. This exhibition room displays a varied range of his memorabilia.
- // Jul 2007He continued setting new milestones and records and extended his association with the ‘Mariners’ with a five-year contract in July 2007.
- // 29th Jul 2008He became the second-youngest player, after Ty Cobb, to accumulate 3,000 top-level professional hits on July 29, 2008, encompassing 1,278 hits in Japan and 1,722 in the US.
- // 23rd Sep 2010On September 23, 2010, he became the first ‘MLB’ player to attain the 200-hit mark for 10 seasons in a row.
- // 2011Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Ichiro donated ¥100 million (US$1.25 million) to the ‘Japanese Red Cross’ toward disaster recovery efforts.
- // 23rd Jul 2012He was traded to the ‘New York Yankees’ by the ‘Mariners’ on July 23, 2012. He became the ‘AL Player of the Week’ for the week ending September 23 that year. On December 19 that year, his two-year deal for $13 million was finalised with the Yankees.
- // 23rd Jan 2015 To 2016He signed a one-year, US$ 2 million contract with the ‘Miami Marlins’ on January 23, 2015. Moving further, on October 6 that year, he agreed on a one-year, US$2 million contract with the ‘Marlins’ for the 2016 season.
- // 6th Jul 2017On July 6, 2017, with a total of 3,054 hits, he surpassed Panamanian ‘MLB’ player Rod Carew to become the all-time leader in hits among foreign-born ‘MLB’ players. His ‘MLB’ record through the 2017 season stands at a batting average of .312, 3,080 hits, 117 home runs, 780 runs batted in, 1,415 runs, and 509 stolen bases.
// Famous Libra Celebrities peoples
Melissa Brim
Melissa Brim is the ex-girlfriend of former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. Check out this biography to know about her birthday, childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her.
Jacob Tremblay
Jacob Tremblay is a Canadian child actor. Let’s have a look at his family & personal life including age, birthday, relationships, net worth and fun facts.
Sierra Furtado
Check out all that you wanted to know about Sierra Furtado, the famous YouTube Personality; her birthday, her family and personal life, her boyfriend, fun trivia facts and more.
Sexxy Lexxy
Alexis Smith Walker, popularly known as Sexxy Lexxy, is an African-American singer. Check out this biography to know about her birthday, childhood, family life, achievements, and fun facts about her.
Benjamin Keough
Benjamin Keough is an American socialite who is best known as the grandson and look-alike of legendary musician Elvis Presley.
Lizzie LDShadowLady
Check out all that you wanted to know about Lizzie LDShadowLady, the famous YouTuber and gamer; her birthday, her family and personal life, her boyfriend, fun trivia facts and more.
Ichiro Suzuki's FAQ
What is Ichiro Suzuki birthday?
Ichiro Suzuki was born at 1973-10-22
Where is Ichiro Suzuki's birth place?
Ichiro Suzuki was born in Toyoyama, Aichi Prefecture
What is Ichiro Suzuki nationalities?
Ichiro Suzuki's nationalities is Japanese
Who is Ichiro Suzuki spouses?
Ichiro Suzuki's spouses is Yumiko Fukushima (m. 1999)
Who is Ichiro Suzuki siblings?
Ichiro Suzuki's siblings is Kazuyasu Suzuki
What was Ichiro Suzuki universities?
Ichiro Suzuki studied at 1991 - Aikodai Meiden Kōkō
How tall is Ichiro Suzuki?
Ichiro Suzuki's height is 180
Who is Ichiro Suzuki's father?
Ichiro Suzuki's father is Nobuyuki Suzuki
Who is Ichiro Suzuki's mother?
Ichiro Suzuki's mother is Yoshie Suzuki
What is Ichiro Suzuki's sun sign?
Ichiro Suzuki is Libra
How famous is Ichiro Suzuki?
Ichiro Suzuki is famouse as Baseball Outfielder