Los Angeles (AFP) - Japanese hit king Ichiro Suzuki began a new role with the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday as an instructor for the Major League Baseball club and its minor league affiliate in Tacoma.
Suzuki made an emotional farewell to his playing career during the Mariners' two-game season-opening series against the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo in March.
He brought down the curtain on an MLB career that stretched back to 2001 and saw him shatter a host of records. He's the most prolific foreign-born MLB hitter with 3,089 hits and in 2004 he broke an 84-year-old record for hits in a single season, finishing with 262 -- five more than baseball legend George Sisler had in 1920.
The Mariners said Ichiro would retain the title of Special Assistant to the Chairman, which he first took on last year.
His new role will have him instructing Mariners players "with a focus on outfield play, base running and, in conjunction with the hitting coaches, batting," the team said in a press release.
