Tom Brady once got Ichiro Suzuki's number from Alex Rodriguez to reach out to Ichiro about studying his stretching routine.

Ichiro, however, responded to the text by saying he had no clue who Tom Brady is.

Ichiro's dedication to his stretching and overall fitness is legendary.



Tom Brady's attempt to reach out to another legendary athlete apparently didn't go so well.

According to Peter Gammons of The Athletic, Tom Brady tried to reach out to the recently retired Ichiro Suzuki to inquire about Suzuki's intense stretching routine.

According to Gammons, one day Ichiro was in the coaches' room looking at his phone when he told one of the coaches that he received a text from a number he didn't recognize. The person wrote to Ichiro that they had gotten Ichiro's number from Alex Rodriguez and wanted to meet Ichiro to study his stretching routine.

From Gammons:

"'What’s the guy’s name?' asked one of the coaches.

"Ichiro strolled to the end of the text. 'Some guy named Tom Brady. Who the f--- is Tom Brady?'"

Like Brady, Ichiro is obsessed with stretching and remaining flexible, particularly as he's gotten older. According to Gammons, Ichiro has a "nine-station workout and stretching contraption that Ichiro had designed for himself in Japan and takes everywhere, keeping stretched-out and at maximum strength every day, no matter where he is."

Suzuki recently retired at 44 years old and is set to move to a front office role with the Seattle Mariners. His career has been a model of longevity, with over 20 combined seasons of professional baseball in Japan and the Major Leagues. It is no surprise that the 40-year-old Brady, who has spoken frequently of his desire to keep playing into his 40s, would be interested in observing Ichiro's methods.

It's unclear if a study session between Brady and Ichiro ever took place.