SEATTLE — Ichiro Suzuki is leaving the playing field and transitioning into a front office role with the Seattle Mariners, although he is not completely shutting the door on playing again.
The Mariners announced Thursday that Suzuki was becoming a special assistant to the chairman effective immediately. The team says Suzuki will have an active presence with the team and assist with outfield play, base running and hitting.
But nowhere in the announcement do they say the 44-year-old is retiring. Suzuki is in his 18th season and had appeared in 15 games this year for the Mariners. Suzuki started Wednesday night and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. He hit .205 in 44 at-bats and all nine of his hits this season were singles.
Suzuki has spent parts of 13 seasons with the Mariners. He’s also played for Miami and the New York Yankees.
