The family of legendary Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus — the voice of Seattle baseball for more than three decades — shared a quiet exchange they had with Ichiro.

“Lou Piniella was very skeptical,” said Larry Stone, a Seattle Times baseball writer who has covered Ichiro’s career extensively. “That spring training, Ichiro started off not pulling the ball, not driving the ball. And Lou was like, ‘Who is this guy? When is he going to show me something?’”

Soon-to-be Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki shares why sitting out much of 2018 with the Seattle Mariners was one of his biggest accomplishments.

When Steven Kwan was growing up in the Bay Area, he’d spend summers with his Japanese grandmother. And every day, the NHK network would be on the television.

Ichiro was a professional for 28 seasons between his time in Japan and the United States. He played for the Mariners, Yankees and Miami Marlins, earning more than 4,300 combined professional hits. He was a 10-time All-Star and a 10-time Gold Glover. He also won two batting titles and three Silver Slugger Awards.