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Mariners to present Ichiro franchise's top award

The Seattle Mariners announced that Ichiro Suzuki, who retired in March after playing his final two games in Japan, will receive the Franchise Achievement Award.

The award will be presented during a pregame ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 14, before a game against the Chicago White Sox.

The great left-handed hitter, a 10-time American League All-Star, Suzuki had 10 consecutive seasons of at least 200 hits, breaking the major league record with 262 in 2004.

During that period, he got 2,533 of his 3,089 major league hits playing for the Mariners.

Suzuki, 45, began his pro career in Japan in 1992. The Mariners signed him before the 2001 season.

He played 18-plus in the major leagues for Seattle, the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. The Mariners traded him to the Yankees on July 23, 2012, and he played 2½ seasons there in a backup role before moving on for three seasons with the Marlins. He returned to Seattle to end his career where it started.