It was like he’d never left. Well, there are a few more grays in his close-cropped hair now. But there was an odd feeling of deja vu, watching Ichiro sit in front of the same locker in the home clubhouse Safeco Field, meticulously preparing each of a cadre of shiny black baseball bats in anticipation for the 2018 season and his return to the team where he became a star.
And when he’s announced in the Mariners’ starting lineup on Thursday night for the opening day festivities, running down the red carpet from the outfield and getting a standing ovation from an expected sellout crowd, it will be oddly surreal.