SEATTLE -- As he carefully unpacked and cleaned the several dozen black bats assembled at his locker in a Mariners clubhouse at Safeco Field he last inhabited six years ago, Ichiro Suzuki stopped to take in the surroundings on Wednesday.
"Right now, the dreams that I have, one of them came true," the 44-year-old outfielder said on the eve of what figures to be an emotional Opening Day return. "That's how I feel today."
Ichiro's tenure with the Mariners officially resumed as the team finalized its 25-man roster by optioning utility man Taylor Motter to Triple-A Tacoma after determining Ichiro's sore right calf would allow him to play in Thursday's Opening Day game against the Indians.