Photo/Illutration A window that was broken by Ichiro Suzuki at Asahikawa Higashi High School is sandwiched between two sheets of glass as part of a preservation process. (Masatoshi Narayama)

ASAHIKAWA, Hokkaido—Normally, when a baseball shatters somebody’s window, the batter or thrower receives a scolding and a bill for repairs.

But when the culprit is baseball legend Ichiro Suzuki, the broken glass becomes a memento preserved to inspire young players and other students.

Suzuki, 50, went to Asahikawa Higashi High School in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, on Nov. 4 and 5 to serve as a “temporary coach” for the school’s baseball team.

He showed how “batting practice” is done and sent balls flying to the roof of the four-story school building beyond the outfield.

But in a “misfire,” Suzuki’s home run smashed through the windowpane of a math classroom on the third floor.

The window was about 110 meters from home plate, and the protective netting was only as high as the second floor.

Fortunately, though, the window was double-paned.

Although the 5-mm-thick outer aluminum sash window was broken, the ball did not break the inner pane, so the students did not have to shiver in the cold during class.

A video of Suzuki’s ball smashing the glass and him making an “oops” face went viral.

But the school decided not to punish him or ask him to pay for the damage.

Instead, it hired a contractor to preserve the broken glass.

The contactor, who came to the school for the work on Nov. 20, said it was the first request he has received to remove a cracked window without further breaking it.

The worker carefully removed the broken pane and placed it between two other pieces of glass. It will be framed in aluminum and returned to the school.

The school, which is paying all the costs, said Suzuki will donate a signed baseball and the bat he used during the practice session.

The preserved window, ball and bat will be displayed at the school beside the memorabilia of Haruka Kitaguchi, the world champion in women's javelin and an alumna of the school.

Since 2020, Suzuki has been involved in a pet project of visiting high schools around Japan as a baseball coach.

Asahikawa Higashi High School has been defeated in the finals of the prefectural tournament 11 times and denied a place in the Koshien national tournament.

Suzuki was invited to coach the team in hopes of finally getting it over that hurdle.

Toshiyuki Sato, assistant manager of the team, said, “Ichiro’s window will surely serve as an ‘encouragement’ for team members.”

But he said he also hopes “other students will see it and be inspired by it.”

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