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Mariners' Ichiro to start opener vs. A's in Japan

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When the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics take the field at the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday, a familiar face will be in Seattle's starting lineup.

Mariners manager Scott Servais confirmed Ichiro Suzuki will start in the contest versus the A's, according to MLB.com's Greg Johns.

Wednesday's game is the first of the 2019 regular season and will be followed by a second between the two clubs on Thursday.

The 45-year-old Ichiro could retire at the end of the series, which makes his return to Japan a momentous one. He spent nine years starring for Japan's Orix Blue Wave before becoming a household name in MLB in 2001.

As a North American baseball player, Ichiro's appeared in 10 All-Star Games, won 10 Gold Gloves, and was named American League MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2001.

In his 27 seasons of professional baseball split between Japan and MLB, Ichiro has combined for 4,367 hits, the most by any player.

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