Even at 52 years old, there is not much that Ichiro cannot do on the baseball diamond.
The Hall of Famer proved as much when he launched eight home runs in the Mariners Alumni Home Run Derby last month. As if we needed any more evidence, he provided it with a sterling pitching performance -- yes, a pitching performance -- at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday.
Ichiro was on the mound in an annual All-Star Game against the best high school girls baseball players in Japan. And he dominated. Ichiro pitched a complete game shutout on 127 pitches with a whopping 17 strikeouts to steer his team to victory.
He also served as the team's leadoff hitter and rapped a pair of hits.
“I wanted to see what my current limits were, and this gave me confidence in myself,” Ichiro told reporters in Japanese after the game.
Ichiro even one-upped his legendary outing from the iteration of the All-Star Game in 2024, when he tossed a 116-pitch shutout with nine strikeouts.
It’s not like Ichiro is entirely new to pitching. He pitched in high school and once took the mound in an All-Star Game for Japan during his playing days. He regularly showcased one of the game’s best arms in the outfield during his decorated MLB career, too.
Yankees legend Hideki Matsui and seven-year Major Leaguer Kazuo Matsui joined Ichiro in the lineup for the Kobe Chiben, the "amateur" team selected by Ichiro in the annual contest.
You can watch the entire game on YouTube.