
The Seattle Mariners unveiled a statue for Ichiro Suzuki, one of the team's greatest all-time players, on Friday, and in a testament to how the season has gone so far, the ceremony ended with a bat issue.
As the cover was pulled off the statue, the bat that the Ichiro statue was holding snapped at the handle and became noticeably dislodged.
Ichiro is one of the best pure hitters of the modern era and was inducted into the Hall of Fame this past year following a 19-year Major League career spent primarily with the Mariners.
He collected 3,089 hits, including 2,542 with the Mariners.
Here is a look at the statue unveiling, complete with this dislodged bat.
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
The good news for everybody involved: The Mariners were able to fix the bat to its intended position, and they even had a good sense of humor about the whole thing.
Breaking: We’ve updated tonight’s Ichiro Replica Statue giveaway. pic.twitter.com/EcFfkaAUd6
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) April 10, 2026
Given how easy it was to fix, it's not that big of a deal. It's just not the way anybody intended the moment to go. It is also a fitting beginning for the statue, given the way the season has gone so far for the Mariners' bats.
Entering play on Friday, they are hitting just .184 as a team, the worst mark in Major League Baseball, while their 40 runs are the second-fewest in baseball, ahead of only the 39 scored by the Cincinnati Reds.
The bats are just not cooperating this season. Both on the field and with the bronze statues of their all-time greats.
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