Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez had a great tribute to Ichiro Suzuki at the start of training camp on Wednesday.
Rodriguez was sporting a new haircut when he took the field at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Ariz., this week. The 24-year-old had a design shaved into the back of his head. A closer look revealed that the design was the number 51, which was Ichiro’s jersey number during the 12 MLB seasons the Japanese star spent in Seattle.
Rodriguez said he got the haircut on Tuesday to pay homage to Ichiro, who was recently voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ichiro, a 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner, was a nearly unanimous Hall of Fame selection last month. Only one voter tried to keep him out of Cooperstown, which most people found preposterous. Ichiro cracked a great joke about the one anonymous person who snubbed him.
Rodriguez, who is a two-time All-Star himself, did not play with Ichiro in Seattle. The 24-year-old clearly still has a great deal of respect for what Ichiro meant to the franchise. Ichiro undoubtedly appreciated the gesture.
Rodriguez hit .273 with 20 home runs and 68 RBI in 143 games last season. He is hoping to follow in Ichiro’s footsteps by making several more All-Star appearances with the Mariners.
