Ichiro Suzuki has officially hung up the cleats. Between 19 years in the MLB and 9 additional years playing in Japan’s NPB, the decorated outfielder boasts the longest career playing in professional top-tier leagues (28 seasons). Pair that with his influence as a Japanese-born player and he is one of the most significant players of his time.
Making his professional debut in 2001, he was around for a lot of Dee Gordon’s developmental years as a baseball player. As fate would have it, Gordon would end up teammates with his childhood hero on both the Miami Marlins and the Seattle Mariners. Needless to say, the impact Ichiro had on Gordon’s career is priceless.
When Ichiro officially announced that he would not be returning, Gordon decided an Instagram post wasn’t enough. He wanted to go the extra mile.
Here is a clearer look at the message:
Dee Gordon’s full-page ad included a picture of the two embracing along with a lengthy message explaining how important Ichiro was to Gordon. When asked why he decided to do this rather than a simple social media post, Gordon’s response was nothing but class.
“Honestly, I didn’t think that writing up an Instagram post or something would be meaningful enough,” Gordon said. “He probably wouldn’t be able to see it. I thought this was over the top, too.”
(H/T ESPN)
