Ichiro Suzuki throws 116-pitch complete game against high school team



Ichiro Suzuki is four years removed from his last major league game, but that does not mean he’s still not a dominant force on the diamond — especially against high school competition.

The baseball legend and surefire Hall-of-Fame outfielder took to the mound during his annual All-Star game at the Tokyo Dome on Tuesday and dominated a team of the top high school girls in Japan, throwing a complete game shutout on 116 pitches, striking out nine along the way in a 4-0 victory for his squad.

Oh, and he batted ninth and went 2-for-5 with a double.

It’s not the first time Ichiro has shown his pitching prowess in this All-Star Game, as he struck out 17 on an absurd 147 pitches in 2021.

Ichiro was well-regarded in his big league career for his cannon arm in right field but threw just one big league inning in his career, allowing two hits and a run in an inning of work for the Marlins against the Phillies during a 2015 game.

He topped out around 88 mph during that game, when he was 41 years old.

Ichiro was not taking things easy on the hill.
Ichiro had two hits in the game as well.

Even eight years later, Ichiro, playing with a team of former professionals that included Daisuke Matsuzaka, did not lose much on his fastball, hitting 86 mph on the radar gun with his fastball.

A 10-time major league All-Star, Ichiro had gone hitless in the past two All-Star contests he’s hosted, so this time, he was happy to have collected a couple of base knocks.

“Personally, I’m glad that it was a hit. I was so happy,” Ichiro told reporters after the game. “I’ve had some decent hits as a professional, so I was frustrated and frustrated. I set a goal of one as a batter no matter what. I’m so happy.”

Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners looks on before the game against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park on May 05, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.
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But, that doesn’t mean he didn’t look foolish at the plate at least one.

During an at-bat late in the game, Ichiro was down 0-2 in the count and took a pitch that just caught the outside corner, and he was rung up on a strikeout.

As someone who only struck out in a little over 10 percent of his at-bats during his stateside career, the punchout was a bit of a shock.

“I had a bad feeling,” he told reporters with a laugh. “I’m a player who rarely strikes out. I think I should be proud of that. In my opinion, it was harder to hit than [Roger] Clemens.”





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