The Seattle sailors officially withdrew the legendary number 51 in honor of Ichiro Suzukiin an emotional ceremony prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at the T-Mobile Park. The recent member of the MLB Hall of Fame becomes the third player in the history of the franchise with this honor, together with Ken Griffey Jr. (24) and Edgar Martínez (11).
“What’s Up, Seattle! I am very grateful to receive this great honor,” Suzuki exclaimed before a crowd that chanted his name.
A baseball legend
Ichiro Suzuki made history as the first player born in Japan to enter the Hall of Fame, with 99.7% of votes of the Association of Baseball Writers of America. In his debut in 2001, he achieved the rookie of the year and the MVP of the American League, being just the second player to achieve it in the same season.
His career in MLB left impressive figures:
19 seasons in major leagues.
10 All-Star Games and 10 gold gloves.
2 batting titles and 3 silver bates.
262 hits record in one season (2004), still in force.
3,089 hits in MLB and 4,367 adding NPB and MLB.
A number 51 with double history
Before Suzuki, number 51 was used by Randy Johnson, winner of the first Cy Young for the Mariners and author of the first non-Hitter in the history of the franchise (1990). The organization announced that in 2026 it will also withdraw Johnson’s dorsal, an honor shared by two baseball icons in Seattle.
Future tributes
In addition to withdrawing the number, the president of the team, John Stanton, confirmed that in 2026 a statue of Ichiro Suzuki will be inaugurated in T-Mobile Park, capturing his unmistakable batting posture.
“My will and desire to help this team will always be here,” said Ichiro, who is currently a special assistant to the directive and trains with the players in the routines prior to the matches.
