Seiya Suzuki is the third Cubs player in the last 100 seasons to start his career with an 8-game hitting streak, joining Andy Pafko (9 in 1943) and Joe Munson (8 in 1925).
[2] Suzuki made his NPB debut on September 14, 2013, at the age of 19[3] and appeared in 11 games,[4] spending most of the season in the farm system.
[4] Suzuki could not make the 2016 opening day roster due to a hamstring strain he suffered during spring training,[7] and returned to the team on April 5.
Six days later, the Carp announced that he underwent surgery to treat a malleolar fracture on his right tibia and a deltoid ligament injury, ending his 2017 season.
[4] The Carp won their third consecutive Central League pennant that year,[23] and went on to face the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the Japan Series.
[28] On July 13, he won the 2019 NPB Home Run Derby, defeating Orix Buffaloes outfielder Masataka Yoshida 4-3 in the final round.
[citation needed] In 2021, Suzuki played in 132 games for the Carp, setting a career-high in home runs, with 38, to go along with 88 RBI and a .317/.433/.636 slash line.
Suzuki was the Central League batting champion and on-base percentage leader and was named a NPB All-Star for the fifth time in his career.
Following the 2021 season, on November 22, 2021, Suzuki was posted by Hiroshima and made available to all 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, opening a 30-day period to negotiate a contract.
Suzuki made his Cubs debut on April 7, 2022, working a full-count walk against Corbin Burnes in his first MLB plate appearance.
[37] Suzuki collected his first major league hit in the 5th inning of that game, a line drive single to shallow left field off of Burnes.
He made his 2023 debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 14 where he went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in the top of the 8th inning off Andre Jackson.
[46] On September 15, Suzuki collected his 100 career RBI against the Arizona Diamondbacks when he hit a two-run home run in the top of the 9th inning.
[47] On September 27, 2023, against the Atlanta Braves, Suzuki missed a routine fly ball off the bat of catcher Sean Murphy, allowing the tying and eventual winning runs to score.
[49] He didn't play for 23 games due to the injury but got activated from the injured list on May 10 prior before the Cubs start a three-game road series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A month into his rookie season with Chicago, Suzuki averaged a 28.6 feet per second sprint speed, ranking 12th in the major leagues at the time and first among right fielders.