Ichiro rejoins Mariners at 44, says Seattle is home
Now that Ichiro Suzuki is back with the Seattle Mariners, he hopes to stick around a while.
“I think everybody hears that I want to play until I’m 50,” he said through a translator. “But I want to make sure everybody understands that I always say at least 50.”
The 44-year-old outfielder rejoined his former team Wednesday with a $750,000, oneyear contract.
“Even in the offseason when I would go back to Japan, I always came back to Seattle. This was my home ... has always been my home,” he said. “Somewhere deep inside, I wanted to return and wear this uniform again.”
Suzuki was the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year with Seattle in 2001. He was traded to the New York Yankees during the 2012 season and spent three years in Miami.
Suzuki has a .312 career average and 3,080 hits, not including the 1,278 hits he totaled in Japan. He played 136 games last year for the Marlins and hit .255 with a .318 on-base percentage.
Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said discussions about Suzuki’s return intensified about a week ago, when the club’s outfield injury situation became a greater concern.
“It did not take very long to put a deal together that brought Ichiro back home,” Dipoto said. DODGERS 4 ANGELS 2
Clayton Kershaw pitched three shutout innings and Logan Forsythe homered and doubled for the Dodgers. Angels starter Clayton Richard struck out seven in four innings, allowing two hits and an earned run. PADRES 4 GIANTS 4, 10 INNINGS
San Francisco lefty Madison Bumgarner threw 48 pitches over 3 1/3 innings, giving up two runs and striking out six. Evan Longoria doubled and Brandon Belt had two hits for the Giants. San Diego starter Tyson Ross gave up two runs in three innings.
ATHLETICS 7 MARINERS 3
Robinson Cano hit his first home run of the spring for Seattle, but the Mariners were undone by a trio of Oakland homers as Sheldon Neuse, Jake Smolinski and Chad Pinder each went deep for the A’s during a fiverun sixth inning. Seattle starter Marco Gonzalez pitched four scoreless innings and has yet to allow a run over nine innings this spring. TWINS 8 RED SOX (SS) 1
J.D. Martinez went 0 for 2 in his Boston debut, hitting a pair of flyballs. Martinez, who signed with the Red Sox in late February, batted cleanup and played left field. Jake Odorizzi gave up a run on three hits over 3 2/3 innings in his second start for Minnesota. Twins newcomer Logan Morrison got two hits and Miguel Sano doubled.