This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola¡¯s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Ichiro Suzuki is incomparable.

He used a flip phone into the mid-2010s, learned Spanish to tease teammates in their native tongue and kept his bats in a chamber.

Though Ichiro played just three of his 19 big league seasons in Miami during what is now officially a Hall of Fame career, he was wearing a Marlins uniform while becoming the 30th player in Major League Baseball history to reach 3,000 hits.

The milestone chase took the entire organization on a memorable ride in 2016. There was the hit tracker. Fans flocking to the ballpark on the road and at home. Large media contingents followed the club to every city -- even if Ichiro didn¡¯t play much as the fourth outfielder.

¡°You think about class, you think about precision, grace, consistency, all those different things,¡± retired Marlins first baseman Justin Bour said. ¡°There's no one like him anywhere. He's in a world class of his own.¡±

More than any accolade or award -- and he has plenty -- the lore surrounding Ichiro will stand the test of time.

As his former Marlins teammates tell it, Ichiro arrived for Spring Training in Jupiter, Fla., one year photographed in a shirt that would become the top-selling item in Japan for the day. If Ichiro didn¡¯t feel like his swing was right, he would carry his bat in a sanitary sock onto the plane or to the hotel. He would find the best Italian restaurant in every road city, and the food would be prepared for him when he showed up postgame.

Despite his reputation as a slap hitter, blasting just 117 homers in 10,734 career plate appearances, Ichiro would wow everyone during batting practice by pulling every pitch into the upper deck.

Retired NFL star Tom Brady once texted Ichiro asking about his specially designed workout machines, which required a trailer outside the spring complex. Ichiro had no idea who Brady was.

¡°He's a king,¡± retired Marlins right-hander Tom Koehler said. ¡°Every story about him sounds like it's fake, and then you find out it's real. He's got that kind of presence.¡±

Retired Marlins reliever A.J. Ramos remembers once timidly asking Ichiro if he could use some of the equipment. Ramos would be in the weight room working out in-game to prepare for a possible appearance in the later innings like Ichiro, who was doing the same for a possible pinch-hit appearance.

Ichiro obliged, though Ramos only used the machines that one time. When Ramos later joined the Mets, Ichiro told Ramos he appreciated his work ethic and that he was one of his favorite teammates. Ichiro then quickly reverted to his stoic demeanor and ran off. Ramos still can¡¯t believe that happened.

¡°I just watched the way he went about his business, and I kind of emulated him, and I think maybe he kind of saw that a little bit, as far as my preparation,¡± said Ramos, who credits Ichiro¡¯s success and longevity to his strict routine. ¡°I think he saw how dedicated and how hard I worked, and I think he admired that as well, because it was a version of what he did. So I think that's probably why he was a little bit more affectionate towards me.¡±

The aura surrounding Ichiro is why it took two weeks into Spring Training before Koehler introduced himself. But Koehler quickly learned that the veteran also had a playful side to him with a wicked sense of humor.

Ichiro had a handshake that poked fun at each teammate. When the Marlins decided to make general manager Dan Jennings the interim manager in 2015, Ichiro put a tie on Jennings to break the ice.

Most notable was Ichiro roasting Bour after collecting his 3,000th hit on Aug. 7, 2016, at Coors Field: ¡°My first three at-bats, my body felt like Justin Bour¡¯s. I was just so heavy, but after that hit, the burden was lifted off.¡±

¡°I feel very fortunate that he thought of me as he was running around the bases for that triumphant moment,¡± said Bour, who hung out with Ichiro in Japan in December 2017. ¡°He thought about what it must feel like to run like me. I feel very fortunate to be one of the people who got to know Ichiro as a teammate. Because unless you know him as a teammate, you only get a glimpse of what he's like. So for him to mention me, it's awesome.

¡°It made me feel like I was part of it. It was an incredible moment for him and the team as well, and I was obviously bummed not to be there, but I felt a little bit more included after that.¡±

True to form, Ichiro would go on to give a short speech in English while enjoying a glass of champagne inside the clubhouse to celebrate the milestone.

¡°After that, it was business as usual for him, onto the next,¡± Ramos recalled. ¡°¡®I want to get 4,000 hits,¡¯ and it seemed like that was his goal to hit 4,000. It was a cool moment to be able to be part of history. It's unreal.¡±