At the age of 16, Suzuki was sent away from his home by his parents after getting expelled from high school. He then got a job with the Salinas Spurs, an independent baseball club based in Salinas, California. With the Spurs, Suzuki pitched the final game of the season in 1992, after he spent the entire season as their laundry boy. The next season, Suzuki became a full-time player for the San Bernardino Spirit. Suzuki later stated that his parents were proud of him for learning the English language and how much he matured after he was sent away.\n', '

Suzuki pitched for the non-affiliated Class-A San Bernardino in 1993, going 4–4 with a 3.68 earned run average (ERA), 12 saves, and 87 strikeouts in 48 games, one start. He led the Spirit in saves that season. Suzuki signed with the Seattle Mariners in 1993, choosing Seattle over a list of suitors including the Toronto Blue Jays. In his first season in affiliated professional baseball in 1994, Suzuki pitched for the Double-A Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League. In eight games, he went 1–0 with a 2.84 ERA, one save, and 10 strikeouts. Suzuki was sidelined that season due to a shoulder injury. After an earthquake hit his home town on Kobe, Japan, Suzuki returned to care for his family during the off-season before the 1995 season. During spring training in 1995, Suzuki was again plagued by shoulder injuries. He split the season between the rookie-league AZL Mariners and the Class-A Advanced Riverside Pilots. In ten combined games in the minors, Suzuki went 1–1 with a 5.40 ERA, and nine strikeouts. Suzuki was promoted to the majors in 1995, however, he did not play. He made his major league debut on July 7, 1996, becoming the third Japanese player to play in the major leagues, after Masanori Murakami and Hideo Nomo, and the first Japanese player to pitch in the American League. He was sent back to the minors shortly afterwards, but marked his first major league win in 1998.\n', '

He was sent briefly to the New York Mets in June, 1999, before being shipped away again to the Kansas City Royals. He won 8 games in 2000, including one shut-out victory. He went to the Colorado Rockies, then to the Milwaukee Brewers, before returning to the Royals again. He did not win a game in 2002, and was released by the Royals. He announced his decision to enter the Japanese professional leagues at the end of the season.\n', '

Return to Mac Suzuki Autograph Profile