When most people get invited to throw out the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game, they are mainly concerned with not embarrassing themselves (or injuring themselves). However, Ichiro Suzuki is not most people, and when the Mariners asked the soon-to-be enshrined Hall of Famer to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day, he was ready to show folks that he's still got it, even at 51 years old.
Ichiro didn't just wear his jersey unbuttoned over street clothes, he came out in full uniform, indicating this was serious business. From there he went all the way to the rubber and made manager (and former teammate) Dan Wilson step back behind the plate so he could really let it rip, delivering some 84 mph high heat.
Ichiro Suzuki throws this first pitch the only way he knows how:
— MLB (@MLB) March 28, 2025
84 MPH on the radar, and in FULL uniform! #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/kcxNNJx6L4
You wouldn't expect anything less from Ichiro, whose arm strength was second to none in the outfield during his playing days and still looks to be in terrific shape. You could also see Wilson was a little antsy behind the plate, because he knew Ichiro was about to throw him some gas, and the Mariners manager did a heckuva job climbing the ladder to get to that rising fastball. The Mariners have a few different celebrations of Ichiro planned for this season, including his jersey retirement in August, but they might need to consider holding a bullpen spot open for him to see if he can eat up some innings.