PEORIA, Ariz. -- On a recent morning, David Phelps made his way across the Seattle Mariners clubhouse and noticed Ichiro Suzuki sitting at his locker.
No words were exchange. No handshakes. But a connection was made.
They looked and each other, nodded and went their separate ways.
Suzuki and Phelps may not mingle in the same circles on the diamond, but they share a unique bond.
Suzuki, a future Hall of Fame outfielder, and Phelps, a seasoned set-up reliever, have been teammates since 2012 and were reunited once again this winter with the Seattle Mariners.
While it’s not uncommon for players to be longtime teammates, the Suzuki-Phelps has endured over three franchises and seven consecutive seasons.
“I would gladly ride his coattails wherever he goes,” said Phelps, who suffered an injury in his last outing and will miss the 2018 season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm.
“If you look at the order, I’m following him,” said Suzuki through an interpreter.
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The two first became teammates in 2012, when the Mariners traded Suzuki to the New York Yankees, where Phelps was a rookie. After the 2014 season, Phelps was traded to the Miami Marlins. Less than two months later, Suzuki signed with the Marlins as a free agent.
Phelps, 31, was again traded during the 2017 season to the Mariners at the July deadline, only to have Suzuki, now 44, follow him once again and return to Seattle where his major league career began.
“I have been fortunate to play with him every year I have been in the big leagues,” said Phelps. “I remember in 2012, (the Yankees) were looking for an outfielder. We were in Seattle. One of my best friends at the time was actually traded for him, D.J. Mitchell.”
While Phelps won’t admit it, he may have played a small role in Suzuki’s return to Seattle. Phelps said he was summoned to manager Scott Servais' office and asked what he thought of Suzuki. Not that Phelps needed to convince his manager the positives of a 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner re-joining the Mariners.
“I told him he’s a professional and will help the club win,” said Phelps, who believes the Mariners already had their mind made up, and was just looking for affirmation.
The standard pitcher-position player separation - in physical clubhouse distance and daily routine - certainly applies here. But that doesn’t mean the two don’t respect each other. They communicate differently and respect each others boundaries.
“Everyone that I have played with, that’s been in the clubhouse with him, we respect him more than most,” said Phelps. “We give him his space and watch in awe.”
“There’s so much respect that I have for that man, it’s hard to put into words. I have been fortunate to play with a handful of guys who are first ballot (Hall of Famers). He’s one of them. He’s going to go down as one of the best ever to play the game.”
Says Suzuki: "Being a hitter and pitcher, we are not in the same places at once,” said Suzuki. “We have a connection where we know a lot about each other in a sense of how we prepare. That’s how we connect.”
Phelps has had a front row seat for some of Suzuki's landmark moments, inclduing his 3,000th hit in 2016.
The team wanted to do something for Suzuki to commemorate the feat, and Phelps took the reins on getting the team gift. He and the Marlins presented Suzuki with a barrel of wine with Suzuki's likeness from the Roberto Clemente Museum, which has a wine cellar, in Pittsburgh.
“He’s one of the guys that when my career is done I can tell my kids that I got to play with him,” said Phelps.
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