SEATTLE -- As Ichiro Suzuki prepares to enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame as the headliner of the 2025 class, he will do so in a reflective stage of life and one in which his sole focus centered on the sport is about giving back.
“Baseball is human beings playing against human beings,” Suzuki said through longtime interpreter Allen Turner, “and to have the passion and the energy that is created by that is something that I really hope is still part of the game. That’s what I really value, and it is very important to me that baseball continues to be a game that has the human element to it, with all the emotions and everything that comes along with having humans play this game.”
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Suzuki remains a ubiquitous presence in the game, and especially in Seattle, where he works as a special assistant to the chairman -- which is essentially more of an official title than anything. His actual role is to serve as a roving mentor to players throughout the organization.
He’s an everyday presence in Spring Training and for a large chunk of Seattle’s home games, going through pregame drills that are more forward-facing along with more work behind the scenes. And even at age 51, he’s always in full uniform, and even though he’s been doing this since shortly after retiring in 2019, his presence and commitment carries a sense of surreal.
“I'm still trying to hang in there with them,” Suzuki said. “I play catch. I run. I hit. I shag. So I hope that I can show them that even at this age, you can still play this game.
Calling Suzuki a “coach” wouldn’t necessarily be accurate, because he offers a respectful distance to allow today’s players to operate on their own terms. And even if they don’t do things his way -- which at its essence featured a rigorous attention to detail and a strive for perfection -- he’s still there to offer the wisdom gleaned from 19 seasons in MLB and another nine in Nippon Professional Baseball.
“I'm not here because I wanted to tell them things or to share with them what I know,” Suzuki said. “I'm here so that anybody has an opportunity to ask me if I can be of any help to any other players. That's why I'm here. I'm not here to tell anybody what to do. I'm just here so that if there is any way that I can be of any help to these guys, that's why I'm here.”
His passion to guide baseball’s next generations -- in the U.S., Japan and the rest of the world -- ties back to a greater individual calling, rooted in his respect of who and what came before him.
“I think the history of baseball is very important,” Suzuki said. “We're able to play this game today because of the players of the past.”
That appreciation is what has made Cooperstown, N.Y., such a haven -- and now a new home. The Hall has always carried special significance to Suzuki, who toured the archives during his first visit and has returned regularly ever since.
“We're able to play this game today because of the players of the past,” Suzuki said, “and I really wanted to understand them and be able to know more about them, because it's because of them that we're still getting to play this great game. And so I think we all need to know the game of the past, so that we can keep moving it forward and carrying it on.”
Suzuki enters the Hall as one of the sport’s most transcendent figures, and obviously one of the most decorated in Mariners history. He’ll have his No. 51 retired in a special ceremony on Aug. 9 when the Mariners host the Rays at T-Mobile Park.
In Cooperstown, he’ll be joined by Mariners icons Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson and Edgar Martinez -- all Hall of Famers themselves -- to celebrate his induction.