NAGOYA, Japan — With its primary tenant away, the pro stadium here in central Japan was desolate outside. But inside, under its domed roof, there was bustle. Ichiro Suzuki led his team through a workout on the field. Long after most team members had departed, he emerged from an hour in the trainers’ room. His right shoulder had been aching for a few weeks and he was not about to let it impede his performance.

It was late August, and he had just been feted in Cooperstown with induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and again in Seattle, where the Mariners retired his jersey.

Both events celebrated the totality of a brilliant career — one he says he’s not yet finished with.

On this day, Ichiro was readying his shoulder and the rest of his body to pitch the next afternoon in the

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