Nostalgia is a powerful weapon in sport. A player, a single uniform, a reminiscent play can take you back decades and make you feel like you the first time when you saw it. And in one such throwback to the Seattle Mariners, they saw their talismanic superstar, Ichiro Suzuki, take the mound. In full uniform, no less. Sporting the 2001 Mariner threads, Suzuki took the mound as the Mariners marked their return to the T-Mobile park for their home opener against the Houston Astros.

Ichiro Suzuki is one of the Mariners’ home favorites. And rocking up in full uniform, he turned up with his #51 on full display to mark the beginning of the Mariners’ home campaigns. Suzuki was welcomed with thunderous applause as he began his walk to the mound; an indicator of the impact he had on the franchise. Despite turning out for several teams across his career, it is for his tenure with the Mariners that Ichiro is most remembered.

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 Ichiro Suzuki throws the fastest inaugural pitch

Ichiro Suzuki walked out to the mound amid cheers and a roaring reception as Mariners supporters cheered his approach to the mound. The 48-year-old, now a part of the Mariners’ front office as an instructor and special assistant to the chairman, has only grown in stature at the T-Mobile Park. What now becomes crucial would be to see if he sees the same success that he had as a player.

Ichiro threw a flaming fastball from the mound to youngster Julio Rodriguez, who caught the pitch from behind the plate. The 21-year-old was then embraced in a bear hug by the athlete before Ichiro returned the favor by applauding the crowd as he walked off. Ichiro threw a flaming pitch to start things, clocking in at 93.6 miles per hour.

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Ichiro and the Mariners – A long connection

Despite a lack of silverware with the Mariners, Suzuki is a loved figure in the city. The Mariners enjoyed their most successful patch with Ichiro in their lineup while turning up short in some clutch moments. He surely has given the fans enough memories for a lifetime.

Suzuki was a highly rated contact hitter when he played for the Mariners. He recorded the highest number of hits in the regular season for any player in MLB while on the Mariners, with 262 recorded hits in 2004. And while the Japanese phenom failed in his bid to bring any silverware to the city, he truly did well to make the city iconic.

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But what do you think? Do you think Suzuki could have done more with Seattle? Or did the franchise let him down with their build?