Dee Gordon of the Seattle Mariners took out a full-page ad for his former teammate and favorite player, Ichiro.  The Japanese great retired after the Mariners opened the season in Japan.

Gordon started off the ad by thanking Ichiro and crediting him witb making him want to play the game of baseball.

“First of all, I want to say thank you for being a great friend to me and being my favorite player to this day.

You made me want to play baseball. I idolized you as a kid in Avon Park. We even named a player after you in an old video game that came out before I was born.”

It’s an awesome move by Dee Gordon and a great send off on Opening Day for the future Hall of Famer.  Ichiro definitely left him mark on Major League Baseball.

Want More From Sports Gossip? 

For all the latest breaking Sports Gossip, be sure to follow SportsGossip.com on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.