HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2025-4646
HR 4646
By Representative Corry
WHEREAS, Ichiro Suzuki was born October 22, 1973, in Nishikasugai-gun, Aichi, Japan, where his passion for baseball began at an early age; and
WHEREAS, Suzuki's extraordinary baseball career started with the Orix BlueWave in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), where he set records, including being the first player in Japan to exceed 200 hits in a season, winning seven consecutive batting titles, and earning three Pacific League MVP Awards; and
WHEREAS, In 2001, Suzuki became the first Japanese-born position player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history when he joined the Seattle Mariners, quickly becoming one of the game's brightest stars; and
WHEREAS, During his rookie year, Suzuki led the American League (AL) in batting average and stolen bases, earning both the AL Rookie of the Year Award and the AL MVP Award, a historic feat achieved by only one other player in MLB history; and
WHEREAS, Suzuki's tenure with the Seattle Mariners from 2001 to 2012, and again from 2018 to 2019, cemented his legacy as one of the franchise's greatest players; and
WHEREAS, During his Mariners career, Suzuki earned 10 consecutive All-Star selections, 10 Gold Glove Awards, and two AL batting titles; and
WHEREAS, He set a franchise record for the Mariners for career hits, surpassing Edgar Martínez, and achieved 10 consecutive seasons with at least 200 hits, the longest such streak in MLB history; and
WHEREAS, In 2004, Suzuki broke George Sisler's 84-year-old record for most hits in a single season, finishing with 262 hits and earning international acclaim; and
WHEREAS, Over his professional career, Suzuki amassed 4,367 hits across NPB and MLB, a record unmatched by any player in baseball history, and in 2016, he reached the 3,000-hit milestone in MLB, joining an elite group of only 30 players to achieve this; and