Friday, March 18, 2011

Ichiro Suzuki: Mariners Outfielder Donates over $1 Million to Japanese Red Cross

Ichiro Suzuki Makes Significant Contribution to Native Country

Nobody really knew what the Seattle Mariners were getting when they signed Ichiro Suzuki, a skinny right fielder from Japan, to a modest three-year contract back in November of 2000.

As it turned out, what the Mariners were getting in Ichiro was a player who would go on to become one of the great players of the next decade. Ichiro has hit at least .300 in each of the 10 years he's been in the big leagues, during which he's also won a Gold Glove and made the All-Star team every year. He's also won two batting titles, and he set a single-season record with 262 hits in 2004.

Through it all, Ichiro has also been one of the most likable players in baseball, in part because he's always been an epitome of humility.

On Friday, Ichiro added another chapter to his legend. He has not yet spoken publicly about the crisis in his native Japan, but FOX Sports reported today that Ichiro is going to donate $1.23 million (or 100 million yen) to the Japanese Red Cross to help with relief efforts. The 37-year-old Ichiro also donated $123,000 to Miyazaki Prefecture last month after his homeland was rocked by a series of volcanic eruptions.

The Mariners as a whole also have plans to be very active in raising money for Japan. The team announced earlier on Friday that they will dedicate their opening six-game homestand to donating money to Japanese relief efforts. The club will match any donation made by fans or people in the front office, with a minimum of $100,000 guaranteed.

For more baseball coverage, check out our lost of The 10 Most Compelling Stories of the Season.

Taylor Swift Milla Jovovich Maggie Grace Luján Fernández Charli Baltimore

No comments:

Post a Comment