Ichiro, at 52, throws 127-pitch shutout against All-Star girls team in Japan

Sofia Schwarzwalder, The Seattle Times on Sep 17, 2026

Published in Baseball

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SEATTLE — Age truly seems to be just a number to Ichiro.

Since turning 50, the Mariners legend has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, launched eight homers at the Mariners Alumni Home Run Derby this summer and, most recently, tossed a 127-pitch shutout with 17 strikeouts during an annual All-Star Game against the best high school girls in Japan.

Ichiro, now 52, was the first Japanese position player to sign with a major league club when he joined the Mariners ahead of the 2001 season. The right fielder was a 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, in addition to a slew of other awards and honors that he earned during his time in the majors.

He retired in March 2019 at the age of 45. Ichiro has spent time in Japan since, but he’s also remained a familiar face around T-Mobile Park where he serves as a special assistant to the chairman for the Mariners and is often the first on the field, in full uniform.

The All-Star Game took place on Sunday at the Tokyo Dome in front of a reported 25,000 fans. The game also featured former New York Yankees All-Star outfielder Hideki Matsui. In addition to his dazzling performance on the mound, Ichiro led off the game and had a pair of hits.

Ichiro spoke to reporters in Japanese and said “I wanted to see what my current limits were, and this gave me confidence in myself.”

It’s not the first time that Ichiro has stunned at one of the All-Star games in Japan. In 2024, he threw a 116-pitch shutout with nine strikeouts. And of course, he won the 2007 MLB All-Star Game MVP Award for notching three hits and the game's first inside-the-park home run.

Some of Ichiro's other baseball outings in Japan have also made noise, including in 2023 when he sent a home run through the window of a high school math class while coaching a youth practice in Hokkaido.

Ichiro has always flashed his strong throwing arm, gunning down baserunners for years from right field. But, even in his 50s, he's shown he can bring the heat.

Ichiro showed off his arm, hurling an 84-mph fastball to manager Dan Wilson during the Mariners ceremonial first pitch to open the 2025 season.

“That was gasoline,” Wilson said. “I’m just glad I caught it.”

He was still throwing pitches around that speed on Sunday.