42-year-old Ichiro Suzuki wants to play until he’s 50

Ichiro opened up about his future, his legacy, the transition to MLB and much more in an interview with ESPN.

At 42, Ichiro Suzuki has no plans to retire any time soon. 

“I want to keep playing until I am at least 50,” Ichiro said in a wide-ranging interview with ESPN The Magazine.

Ichiro is currently in his 16th MLB season and needs two more hits to reach 3,000 for his career. 

Last month, he recorded his 4,257th professional hit, surpassing Pete Rose’s MLB record of 4,256. In nine seasons in Japan, Ichiro had 1,278 hits. 

Ichiro struggled last season, batting .229 with a .561 OPS in 153 games. He has rebounded this season while playing slightly less often, batting .335 in 86 games. 

Ichiro led the majors in hits seven times and is a two-time batting champ. In his first North American season in 2001, he became the first MLB player to be named MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season.