Once upon a time, a Japanese college student shared a little fact with the Seattle Times. It was about a slugger who had not yet made his MLB debut. “He is bigger than Michael Jordan because everybody knows Ichiro,” he said. “Nobody knows who is the prime minister of Japan or who is the president in the United States, but everyone knows Ichiro.” The person in question was Ichiro Suzuki, a rookie who left a streak of wildfire burning through the diamond of Safeco Field after his two-hit debut in April 2001. More than two decades later, he’s still got it.
With his laser strikes, flaming pitches, and 262 hits a season, the Wizard of the Baseball World has shown never-seen-before techniques in the game that are actually borderline insane. Today, at 50 years of age, the MLB Hall of Famer’s destructive swing still leaves fans in awe.
Like a true athlete, Ichiro Suzuki interrupts math class
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The beloved Ichiro Suzuki reminded many of his golden days in a stunning play of swings at the Asahikawa Higashi High School in Japan, Hokkaido on Nov. 6. Codify on X posted a video that showed the legend taking a 426-foot hit as students and spectators watched in amusement. The ball he shot went on to score a homer right after it broke one of the windows, apparently in a math class at the school. People all around laughed and cheered as Suzuki looked back at them with a toothy grin. Way to go, Hercules!
Ichiro 😬😂 pic.twitter.com/PVHciOzGFI
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) November 6, 2023
According to MLB.com, the Seattle Mariners icon took 63 swings and threw the homer over a 26-foot-high net that went around the building twice. Luckily, no more windows were broken after that. It doesn’t seem like the students would have minded watching him smash another one. The seven-time Gold Glove winner has been motivating students with his lessons for quite some time now.
It’s all thanks to the students of Kokugakuin Kugayama High School in Japan, who wrote to Ichiro asking him to be a visiting instructor for their team. Ichiro Suzuki has been traveling all around Nippon for the past few years, teaching fundamental drills to students and offering them advice on becoming better sluggers.
He hopes to get the members of the Higashi High School baseball team to reach their first Summer Koshien, Japan’s leading high school baseball tournament. It seems like his homer was fiery enough to incite the winning spirit of the team already! Now let’s take a look at what his fans on the internet have to say about the shot.
Fans’ fervor for the fiery Hercules
The Hall of Famer was not just a Mariners favorite but beloved around the league. So of course, his antics would attract online attention, goading him on!
One fan wished he had participated in the Home Run Derby.
Ichiro never participating in a home run derby was a mistake
— Chris ßrinton (@cjbrinton) November 6, 2023
Another almost refused to believe he was 50 and hitting with such power.
How tf this guy is 50
— lyfico (@lyfico666) November 6, 2023
An enthusiastic fan said they would probably keep the broken window as a memento in Asahikawa.
The principal of this highschool said he won't fix the window❤️
— HirokoU (@artexjp) November 6, 2023
Another said that he’ll easily lead the leagues with 300 bats in his current form.
Bro can easily bat 300 in the league rn
— ヴィヴィ (@vivi_bibi_nat) November 7, 2023
Someone said that he’s the greatest hitter on the diamond.
To me, he was the most pure hitter to ever grace the game
— Godspeed Goon ⚡️ (@GodspeedGoon) November 6, 2023
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Another fan tagged him as the greatest of all time.
That's my GOAT!!!
— Rollins (@Rollins52627662) November 7, 2023
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Grins and giggles apart, Ichiro Suzuki keeps proving that he would have broken innumerable records in the whole league if he had continued playing. The students under Suzuki’s wing must be feeling lucky to have him on their team!
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