Seattle Mariners former outfielder Ichiro Suzuki speaks during a ceremony to retire his number before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at T-Mobile Park on Aug 9. Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Ichiro Gave Huge Props to Randy Johnson During Seattle Mariners Ceremony

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Seattle Mariners stayed hot on Saturday night, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 at T-Mobile Park. The M's are now 65-53, a season-high 12 games over .500, and they are just 0.5 games back of the Houston Astros in the American League West.

Seattle has gone 8-1 since the trade deadline, marking its best stretch of the season.

As good as the action was on the field, the real highlight of Saturday came before the game, when the organization retired Ichiro Suzuki's No. 51. He became the third Mariners player to have his number retired, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (24) and Edgar Martinez (11).

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Just as it was in Cooperstown two weeks ago when he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Ichiro's speech was excellent. He thanked the other members of the Mariners Hall of Fame who came to support him, and he also was effusive in his praise of Randy Johnson, who wore No. 51 before him in Seattle.

Ichiro says he never would have been able to wear No. 51 in Seattle if not for Johnson's generosity and grace. Johnson will have his No. 51 also retired in a separate ceremony next season.

You can see this portion of Ichiro's speech below:

Ichiro devoted a significant portion of his speech with a heartfelt tribute to Randy Johnson, the original 51 for the Mariners. #TridentsUp #IchiroHOF pic.twitter.com/xssjuFRpMN
— Jason Krump (@JasonKrump) August 10, 2025

One of the most important figures in team history, Johnson spent parts of 10 seasons with the Mariners, going 130-74 in that time. He had been acquired in 1989 via a trade with the Montreal Expos and stayed until he was traded in 1998. He had a 3.42 lifetime ERA in Seattle, tossing 19 shutouts and 51 complete games. The most intimidating pitcher of his era, he had 2,162 strikeouts with Seattle in 1,838.1 innings. He helped lead the M's to their first playoff appearance in 1995, going 18-2 and winning the American League Cy Young. He also went 20-4 in 1997.

The Mariners will play the Rays again on Sunday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. PT before traveling to Baltimore for a new series on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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