Following an emotional exit from the game he loves last week in front of a packed house in Japan, Ichiro Suzuki is feeling the love from Dee Gordon.
Gordon, who was seen in tears last week as Ichiro left the field for the final time to a thunderous standing ovation, took out a full-page ad in the Seattle Times thanking his former teammate.
Gordon thanked Ichiro for “being a great friend to me and being my favorite player to this day.”
He also credited Ichiro with inspiring him to play baseball, writing, “I remember looking at you and thinking to myself, ‘Damn, bruh skinny like me, so if he can do it, I most definitely can too.'”
The two played together for three seasons in Miami, and then they both landed in Seattle last season.
Needless to say, Ichiro was a huge inspiration to Gordon, along with countless others, as he played the game the right way for so many years.