The Seattle Mariners started the regular season with a 9-7 win over the Athletics, but the Tokyo Dome was mostly there to see one player on Wednesday. Ichiro Suzuki, at 45 years old, started the game for the Mariners in what could be his last series as a player. The Mariners and A's have expanded rosters for the Tokyo series, allowing Ichiro to get into the lineup.

He went to the plate twice, going 0 for 1 with a walk. And when Ichiro -- who spent the first nine years of his professional career playing in his native Japan -- was pulled in the fourth inning, he got a huge ovation from the Tokyo crowd.

Ichiro will likely play again on Thursday, but this series maybe is his curtain call. He was signed to a minor league contract a few weeks prior to this opening series, and last year he played with the Mariners before transitioning to a front office role that kept him with the team.

Since joining MLB in 2001, Ichiro has logged 3,089 hits with a .311 batting average, and his arm is legendary among outfielders. If/when Ichiro does see the field Thursday, expect his ovations to only be more raucous if he's pulled mid-game again.