Ichiro announces retirement
TOKYO — He waited until he came home to say goodbye.
After a brilliant career that spanned 28 seasons and two leagues, blossoming from a standout to a star to an icon and eventually to the greatest baseball player in Japanese history and a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer, Ichiro is walking away from the game that has meant so much to him and defined his life.
Following the Mariners' 5-4 extra-innings win against the Oakland A's on Thursday in Tokyo, in which Ichiro started in right field and went 0 for 4, Ichiro walked into the batter's cage near the Mariners' clubhouses in the Tokyo Dome to meet with a small group of U.S. media members. Mariners teammates and coaching staff filled into the area to watch him announce what they'd known coming into the game.
“I have decided that today I retire from baseball,” he said through interpreter Allen Turner. “I'm very thankful to the fans, the Mariners and all the people that work for the Mariners. I'm just so thankful to them.”
Just four days earlier, Ichiro had said he didn't understand why questions about when he'll stop playing were being asked.
But he knew it was time. Like he had done so often in his playing career, Ichiro was going to do this on his terms and in his unique way.
The Mariners made sure the crowd of 46,451 was able to honor him properly. After the top of the eighth inning, Ichiro jogged out to right field, but none of the Mariners players followed him out to the field. They waited as he made the trek to his most familiar position one last time. This time, the public-address announcer knew what was happening and explained that the icon was coming out of the game. Ichiro slowly returned to the dugout as the crowd stood and cheered. The A's also stood and applauded while the Mariners went out to give him hugs.
“For me it doesn't get better than tonight,” Ichiro said. “Nothing can top what happened tonight.”
For Mariners starter Yusei Kikuchi, the first game of his major league career came in the final game of his hero's career. And they got to play together on the same team. Tears streamed down Kikuchi's cheeks as he hugged Ichiro, and his tears continued in the dugout.
This trip to Japan with the Mariners — the team that signed him out of Nippon Professional Baseball and helped launch him into superstardom — was a farewell tour without the prior acknowledgment. The attention from the fans and media? Well, that was going to be there regardless. When the Mariners announced this offseason that Ichiro would be on the roster for this trip to Japan, the interest in these games surged from high to must-see.
The face of Japan's passionate baseball culture was coming back to play for the first time since 2012. There were moments in this series when it became evident this would be his last.
“I didn't think I would be in this place and be able to finish the way this happened,” he said. “It's just happiness. Of course, I thought about the fans in Seattle. But the ballpark is changing from Safeco to T-Mobile Park, so I think this is the right place to finish up my career here.”
The Mariners' trip to Japan was six days filled with nostalgia and fawning acknowledgment of his greatness Common sense dictated that he could no longer remain on the active roster.
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