Ichiro Suzuki had a busy Tuesday night. First, he was announced as an inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its class of 2025. Moments later, the Seattle Mariners announced the organization would retire his famous No. 51 this coming season.
Ichiro joins fellow Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. (No. 24) and Edgar Martinez (No. 11), along with Jackie Robinson (No. 42) as the only players to have their number retired by the Mariners. In a pregame ceremony on Aug. 9, Ichiro's No. 51 will officially be hung up for good.
On August 9, we’ll officially retire Ichiro’s iconic No. 51. #IchiroHOF
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) January 22, 2025
8月9日に、イチローの「51」は正式に永久欠番となる。
🔗 https://t.co/7tWKi0G8Dt pic.twitter.com/d794RDFx4r
“For nearly a quarter of a century, Ichiro has been an integral part of the Seattle Mariners organization,” Mariners chairman and managing partner John Stanton said in a news release. “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.
Ichiro received 99.7% of the Hall of Fame vote, which left him just one vote shy of a unanimous selection. The single vote left former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera as the only player to receive 100% of the vote.
Ichiro was told that the Mariners would retire his jersey during a Hall of Fame press conference Tuesday, where he was visibly emotional once he heard the surprise.
Ichiro is emotional finding out the Mariners will be retiring his uniform 🥹pic.twitter.com/Nuu5g1Ww7z
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) January 22, 2025
He was a one-time AL MVP, a 10-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner and two-time batting champ. He collected 3,089 hits in his 19-year career, despite not debuting in MLB until the age of 27. He becomes the first Japanese player inducted into the Hall of Fame. Now, he will get his much deserved flowers straight from the Mariners, too.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mariners Announce Plan to Retire Ichiro's No. 51 Shortly After Hall of Fame Announcement.
