Ichiro's last game as Major League Baseball player in 2018 came Wednesday night at Safeco Field in the Mariners' 3-2 loss to the Oakland A's.
Now he's "transitioning" to a new role for the rest of the season.
The longtime icon and outfielder was removed from the Mariners' 25-man roster Thursday and assigned a new job in the organization _ "Special Assistant to the Chairman."
So what exactly does the Special Assistant to the Chairman do?
From the Mariners' statement: "Ichiro will work in collaboration with the Mariners' Major League staff, High Performance staff and Front Office personnel. He will assist, based on his experience, with outfield play, baserunning and hitting. And he will provide mentorship to both players and staff."
"We want to make sure we capture all of the value that Ichiro brings to this team off the field," general manager Jerry Dipoto said in the statement. "This new role is a way to accomplish that. While it will evolve over time, the key is that Ichiro's presence in our clubhouse and with our players and staff improves our opportunity to win games. That is our number-one priority and Ichiro's number-one priority."
Ichiro will still be with the Mariners' big-league team, possibly even in uniform before games.
"With Ichiro's track record of success, his personality, his unique perspective and his work ethic, he is singularly positioned to impact both our younger players and the veterans in the clubhouse," Dipoto said. "We really don't want him to change anything that he's doing right now, with the exception that he will not be playing in games. We believe that Ichiro's signing and his assimilation into our team has helped us this season and we want to make sure we continue that."
There was no mention of the word retirement in the statement. And Ichiro appears to have no intention of retiring.
Per a statement that his agent, John Boggs, sent to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
"He is not retiring. He is taking on a different role for 2018, and 2019 has yet to evolve."
But this new role won't allow him to return to Seattle's active roster in 2018.
"While this agreement only covers the 2018 season, it is our goal that Ichiro be a member of the Seattle organization long-term," Dipoto said. "As his role evolves over the 2018 season, it will inform the team and Ichiro on his best fit with us in 2019 and beyond."
It wouldn't be surprising to somehow see Ichiro return to the Mariners in 2019 and play in Japan for the two exhibition games and two regular season games in Tokyo vs. the A's, considering how the team has handled Ichiro this season.
Right-handed pitcher Erik Goeddel has been selected from AAA Tacoma to fill his spot on the 25-man roster.
Ichiro, 44, has 3,089 career hits, including 2,542 as a Mariner, which is 21st most in baseball. After notching 1,278 hits during his nine years (1992-2000) with the Orix Blue Wave of Japan's Pacific League, Ichiro has a combined 4,367 hits between MLB and Japan. He is one of seven players to collect at least 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases in the Major Leagues, joining Lou Brock, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor and Honus Wagner.
He joined the Mariners in 2001, the last Seattle team to reach the postseason. That storied team tied the major-league record of 116 wins, with Ichiro leading the way.
He led the American League with a .350 batting average while amassing 242 hits, the most for a rookie since 1930. He led the majors with 56 stolen bases and was named the American League Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, while also earning a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger. The only other player to win the MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season was Boston's Fred Lynn (1975).
In his each of first 10 seasons with the Mariners, Ichiro surpassed the 200-hit mark, including the 2004 season, where he racked up 262 hits in 161 games, surpassing the then 84-year-old record of 257 hits in a season held by George Sisler. He was named to the All-Star Game in those first 10 seasons, while earning Gold Glove awards in each of those seasons.
With the Mariners in the midst of a losing season in 2012 and the future not looking good, Ichiro asked for a trade to the Yankees. That deal happened while the Yankees were playing at Safeco Field. Ichiro simply switched clubhouses and walked onto the field in a different uniform a day later.
He played two more seasons with the Yankees before playing the last three with the Marlins as a part-time player. He reached the career milestone of 3,000 hits on Aug. 7, 2016, and most observers expect he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
