A Japanese former professional baseball outfielder. He began his career in 1992 playing for the Orix Buffaloes (then the Orix BlueWave) of Nippon Professional Baseball before joining Major League Baseball in 2000, starting with the Seattle Mariners and staying with them until 2012. Suzuki spent two seasons each with the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins before finishing out his career as a Mariner in 2018. He officially retired on March 21, 2019.
He had a unique ritual of holding his bat upright at arm's length, and tugging at his sleeve before getting set for each pitch.
Because of his achievements both in Japan and the United States, he was elected in both Japanese and American Baseball Halls of Fame; his induction into the US Hall of Fame was the first for a Japanese player.
