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Watch: Ichiro Suzuki’s statue unveiled with broken bat

Originally posted on Ball Exclusives | Last updated Apr 10, 2026 5:17 PM ET

Baseball Hall of Famer and Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki had his honorary statue revealed on Friday, but it didn’t appear to go smoothly.

As the statue’s cover was removed for the unveiling, the bronze bat in the statue’s hand broke.

The formal unveiling of Ichiro Suzuki’s statue here at T-Mobile Park, with the reveal featuring Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and John Stanton. pic.twitter.com/fcacaAtpYY

— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) April 10, 2026

Luckily, Ichiro seemed unbothered by the malfunction. He joked that New York Yankees Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera must have broken the bat.

“I didn’t think Mariano would come out here and break the bat,” he said through a translator.

Suzuki carved out a historic 19-year career in the MLB. Combining all of his professional hits from both Japan and the MLB, he has more career hits than any player in history.

His new statue now stands outside T-Mobile park, close to the staues of fellow Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez. The broken bat will reportedly be fixed shortly.

James Parker contributed to this story.

This article first appeared on Ball Exclusives and was syndicated with permission.

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