Ichiro Suzuki, the most prolific hitter in baseball history and an icon on both sides of the Pacific, retired yesterday as his fellow Seattle Mariners wept, bowed and hugged him in a Tokyo stadium rocking with cheers.
Suzuki, 45, made the announcement after playing for the Mariners in the second game of their Major League Baseball opening series in Japan against the Oakland Athletics.
His final at bat could hardly have been more typical: a ground ball out that he very nearly legged into an infield single with a full-bore sprint to first. The Mariners won 5-4 after three extra innings.
