Ichiro Suzuki thanks Iwata, past Nintendo executives following trade

A big trade went down in baseball today. 10-time All-Star Ichiro Suzuki was traded to the New York Yankees after spending his entire MLB career with the Seattle Mariners.

In a press conference following the trade, Suzuki expressed appreciation for three past and present Nintendo executives. He thanked former CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi, current CEO Satoru Iwata, and ex-Nintendo of America CEO Tatsumi Kimishima.

Suzuki and Nintendo have fairly strong ties to each other. Some of you may be aware that Nintendo is the majority owner in the Seattle Mariners. In 2005, Yamauchi apparently gifted Suzuki with 5,000 shares of Nintendo stock.

For those wondering, Suzuki is batting eighth for the Yankees tonight.