Seattle Mariners will retire 2025 Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki's No. 51 jersey

SEATTLE — The elite echelon of Seattle Mariners players grew larger on Jan. 21 when it was announced that Ichiro Suzuki would be one of three 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees alongside CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.

Suzuki will be joining fellow franchise greats Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Suzuki will also be joining those two Seattle legends in another prestigious group.

It's been a franchise rule that players eligible to have their jersey retired must be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Griffey Jr. (No. 24) and Martinez (No. 11) met that criteria and have their uniform numbers hanging in the left-center corner of T-Mobile Park.

And with that box checked off, President of Business Operations Kevin Martinez announced on Jan. 21 at a news conference that Suzuki's No. 51 will also be retired by the franchise.

"From the moment you arrived in Seattle, you demonstrated your incredible passion, respect and love of the game of baseball," Martinez said to Suzuki during the news conference. "Every time you stepped on the field, you energized fans in the Northwest, in Japan and around the world with both your skill and your style of play. You were an inspiration to everyone. And you did it all while staying true to yourself, showcasing your wonderful personality both in the clubhouse and on the field. It was simply a joy to watch you play. And you continue to make an impact on the next generation of players as one of the game's greatest ambassadors. Ichiro, on behalf of everyone in our organization, chairman and managing partner John Stanton, our partnership group and our fans; it's truly my honor and privilege to announce that the Mariners are retiring your No. 51 jersey."