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Ichiro hitless as Mariners beat Yomiuri 6-4 in exhibition

Japanese fans can’t get enough of Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki as he signs autographs before an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Gianits at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday. (Eugene Hoshiko / AP)
Associated Press

TOKYO – Ichiro Suzuki’s struggles at the plate have followed him to Japan.

Ichiro went hitless in three at-bats on Sunday when his Seattle Mariners beat the Yomiuri Giants 6-4 in an exhibition game ahead of their MLB season-opening series against the Oakland A’s.

Ichiro arrived in Japan hitting just .080 in spring training this season and couldn’t break out with a hit before a near-sellout crowd of 46,315 at Tokyo Dome.

Even before the game started, Ichiro gave the crowd a thrill, signing autographs down the third base before a throng of fans eager to get a glimpse of the 45-year-old star who is playing here for the first time since 2012.

He made a fine running catch up against the wall in deep right field in the first inning, flashing signs of the defensive prowess he has displayed throughout his career.

Cameras flashes lit up the stands when he strode to the plate for his first at-bat in the second but he hit a fly ball to left-center field.

He grounded into a force out in the fourth and grounded out again in the sixth before being replaced in right field by Braden Bishop.

Jay Bruce hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to give the Mariners a 5-3 lead and they added another run in the eighth on a Dee Gorden solo homer.

The A’s played an exhibition game against the Nippon Ham Fighters later Sunday.

The Mariners and A’s play two more exhibition games against the same teams on Monday and have a practice day on Tuesday before they open the 2019 MLB season with games on Wednesday and Thursday.