RP116 He's a Hit—Everywhere!

RP116 He's a Hit—Everywhere!

Ichiro Suzuki, often called "Ichiro" for short, has a great job. Some might say that as a professional baseball player, he has the greatest job in the world. He plays a game he loves, breaks records, and has millions of fans. But this superstar has worked very hard to get where he is today.

Ichiro started playing with a toy ball and bat when he was just three years old. At seven he joined his first baseball team, and the real practice began. He and his dad, who was a tough coach, practiced some pitching and fielding. But they would mostly work on batting. Ichiro hit pitch after pitch after pitch, working hard to become the best batter he could.

By the time he was 12, Ichiro had decided that he wanted to be a professional baseball player. That meant the game had to become more work and less fun. With his father, Ichiro did difficult exercises to make himself stronger since he wasn't naturally big or muscular. "I'm not a big guy," he once said," and hopefully kids can look at me and see that I'm not muscular and not physically imposing, that I'm just a regular guy. So if somebody with a regular body can get into the record books, kids can look at that. That would make me happy."

Following an outstanding high school baseball career, Ichiro was drafted into the Japanese Pacific League. He spent nine very successful seasons there before joining his first American team, the Seattle Mariners, in 2001. He has remained in the US major leagues since then, winning many awards and setting numerous batting records. Ichiro's hard work has definitely paid off, but he still works as hard as ever to be the best.