On Saturday, the Seattle Mariners celebrated one of their franchise legends.
It was Ichiro Suzuki‘s 49th birthday, and the Mariners tweeted a cool graphic to honor their franchise icon for so many seasons.
Ichiro was a 10-time All-Star, an MVP, a Rookie of the Year, a three-time Silver Slugger, and a two-time Batting Champion.
He came up in 2001 and played in Seattle until he was traded to the New York Yankees in 2012.
He would later spend three years with the Miami Marlins before returning to Seattle for his final season.
On Twitter, rising star and AL Rookie of the Year favorite Julio Rodriguez made sure to show his appreciation for Ichiro, retweeting the Mariners’ graphic and putting a goat and the Japanese flag in his caption.
— Julio Rodriguez🇩🇴🦁 (@JRODshow44) October 22, 2022
J-Rod Shows Respect For Ichiro
Ichiro was certainly a legend and will always be loved by the fans in Seattle.
But they might love Rodriguez just as much, if not more before too long.
He gave Mariners fans a season to remember after cracking the Opening Day roster.
The 21-year-old hit 28 homers, drove in 75, hit for a .284 average, and posted an OPS of .854.
He also had 25 doubles and 260 total bases.
He’s also signed long-term and may soon become a fixture in a Mariners uniform, just as Ichiro was before him.
But even at his tender age, Rodriguez is showing a great deal of respect and class, honoring a franchise great who fans adored for so many years.
Mariners fans hope that Rodriguez continues his rise to stardom and becomes a fixture for the team, just as Ichiro had been.
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