Ichiro Suzuki holds back tears after Mariners’ jersey retirement announcement

Seattle Mariners Chairman and Managing Partner John Stanton announced that the organization will retire Ichiro Suzuki’s iconic No. 51 jersey in honor of the Hall of Famer. The retirement ceremony is set for Saturday, August 9, at T-Mobile Park. Ichiro will join Ken Griffey Jr. (#24), Edgar Martinez (#11), and Jackie Robinson (#42) as the only players to have their numbers retired by the Mariners.

“For nearly a quarter of a century, Ichiro has been an integral part of the Seattle Mariners organization,” said the Mariners Chairman. “And today’s announcement will assure that his number will be proudly displayed in T-Mobile Park forever as he aptly joins Ken and Edgar as Mariners in the Hall of Fame.

Suzuki played 14 of his 19 MLB seasons with the Mariners. The team will officially retire his No. 51 on Aug. 9 at T-Mobile Park during a ceremony that is part of “Ichiro Hall of Fame Weekend,” scheduled from Aug. 8 to Aug. 10 as Seattle faces the Tampa Bay Rays.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum revealed earlier Wednesday that Ichiro Suzuki earned induction on his first ballot, securing 99.7% of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Suzuki missed a unanimous Hall of Fame selection by just one vote, earning 393 out of 394 votes. He becomes the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Mariano Rivera remains the only player to achieve unanimous election.

Ichiro Suzuki during his playing days

Over his 19 MLB seasons, Suzuki earned 10 All-Star selections, 10 Gold Glove awards, and three Silver Slugger awards. He also claimed two American League batting titles and once led the AL in stolen bases.

In 2001, Suzuki captured both the AL MVP and AL Rookie of the Year honors after an incredible season, tallying 242 hits, 34 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs, 69 RBIs, and 53 stolen bases while hitting .350. He also set the MLB record for the most hits in a single season with 262.

Ichiro concluded his career with 3,089 MLB hits, adding to the 1,278 he accumulated over nine seasons in Japan. His combined total of 4,367 hits is the most in professional baseball history, surpassing Pete Rose’s MLB record of 4,256.

Over 19 Major League seasons, Ichiro earned two batting titles, scored 1,420 runs, and stole 509 bases, all while paving the way for Japanese players to succeed in MLB despite early skepticism about their ability to adapt.

Suzuki will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27 in Cooperstown, New York, alongside CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.