25 years ago, in November of 2000, the Seattle Mariners changed the course of franchise history, and baseball, forever when they signed Ichiro Suzuki as a free agent out of Japan.
The Mariners were coming off their second ALCS appearance in franchise history, after a surprise run that saw the team claim the AL Wild Card and come two wins away from their first World Series appearance. However, they were about to lose superstar Alex Rodriguez to free agency, and would need a new star to replace him in the lineup and on the field.
25 years have passed since the Mariners changed everything by signing Ichiro Suzuki
Enter Ichiro, the Japanese outfielder who was known for hitting literally everything, and for running the bases at an extraordinarily high level.