TOKYO — Ichiro Suzuki gave his fans in Japan a performance to cheer about.
Suzuki, 38, had four hits in his return home, Dustin Ackley homered and singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning, and the Mariners beat the Athletics 3-1 last night in baseball’s season opener.
“It was very special to open in Japan,” said Suzuki, who spent nine seasons in Osaka with the Orix Blue Wave. “I wanted to have fun and give the fans something at this special time and wanted to share a special moment with them.”
Major League Baseball and the players’ association are using the series to assist rebuilding in Japan following last year’s earthquake and tsunami. A group of players and coaches traveled to the disaster zone on Tuesday to conduct a baseball clinic.
A capacity crowd of 44,227 at Tokyo Dome saw Felix Hernandez combine with two relievers on a six-hitter as MLB opened its season in Tokyo for the fourth time. The continent switch didn’t help the A’s, who became the first team to lose eight straight openers since Philadelphia from 1985-92, according to STATS LLC.
Seattle and Oakland were to complete their two-game series ltoday (5:10 a.m., ET) with Bartolo Colon starting for the A’s against Jason Vargas. The rest of the big league teams start to get going April 4, when the renamed Miami Marlins open their new ballpark against the World Series champion Cardinals.