SEATTLE - The 52-year-old missed the final round for the top two among seven participants at T-Mobile Park, but he finished one point behind Austin Nola and Stefen Romero, both in their 30s, who advanced with nine points.
Fans broke into "Ichiro" chants in the stands, underscoring his enduring popularity in Seattle.
"My role is to show that even with this (slim) body, I can clear the fence," said Ichiro, who is widely known by just his first name. "What I need to express is the ball flying cleanly with a swing that brings out my style."
Ichiro, the first Japanese inducted into the U.S. National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025, retired in 2019 at age 45 with 3,089 hits in Major League Baseball.
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