TAMPA, Fla. _ Two of Ichiro Suzuki's 3,089 career hits came off Masahiro Tanaka.
And the Yankees right-hander, a countryman of the Japanese legend who officially retired Thursday morning after the Mariners' 5-4 victory over the A's in Tokyo, smiled when recalling them.
"For me, I treasure that experience to be able to face him," Tanaka said through his translator Thursday.