Ichiro Suzuki turned 50 years old last month. And just because he retired back in 2019, don’t think that he has stopped playing baseball. If we’re being honest, Ichiro might never stop playing baseball.
Right now, the MLB legend is back in Japan to work with high school baseball players, and he seems to be having a blast. A couple weeks ago, he shattered a classroom window with a home run, which drew a hilarious reaction. And now, he’s taking on an entire high school girls baseball team because of course he is.
Footage from an exhibition game this week hit social media, and we were treated to Ichiro going nine innings on 116 pitches against a high school girls team. He had nine strikeouts, threw around 86 mph with the fastball and actually got out three times at the plate (he was 2 for 5).
50-year-old Ichiro Suzuki pitched a complete-game shutout on 116 pitches against a high school girls team today. He had nine strikeouts, topping out at 86 MPH
He went 2-for-5 at the plate with a double pic.twitter.com/p1Mu1PiOWN
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 21, 2023
Sure, Ichiro might be a 50-year-old retiree, but he’s still Ichiro. The pitchers who got Ichiro out will have bragging rights for life.
This wasn’t the first time Ichiro had pitched against a high school girls team in Japan — he did so in 2021 with 17 strikeouts. But this latest footage understandably had MLB fans making jokes about the matchup.
