Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki ranks among pro baseball’s top players, and at 52 he just pitched a 127-pitch shutout with 17 strikeouts… against a Japanese girls’ high school team.
The big shutout was part of Japan’s annual All-Star Game, meant to promote women’s baseball, and was played in the country’s iconic Tokyo Dome stadium, according to the Seattle Times.
Ichiro became one of the first Japanese players to transition from Japanese baseball to American pro ball when the Mariners signed him in 2001. He was a 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025 after retiring from pro ball in 2019 at age 45.
The All-Star Game in Tokyo took place on Sunday and was reportedly played before 25,000 fans and also featured New York Yankees All-Star outfielder Hideki Matsui.
This is not the first time that Ichiro has participated in the women’s All-Star Game.
He threw a 116-pitch shutout with nine strikeouts in 2024, and earned 17 strikeouts when facing the girls’ team in 2021.
Ichiro explained that at 52, he hoped to see if he was still in playing condition, telling the media after the game, “I wanted to see what my current limits were, and this gave me confidence in myself.”
His participation in the women’s event helps bring more attention to the game in Japan.
The famed player appeared in the Mariners 2025 season last year and tossed an 84-mph fastball to manager Dan Wilson, who said he was shocked by the heat of the throw.
“That was gasoline,” Wilson said. “I’m just glad I caught it.”
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