(Photo credit score: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images)
The Seattle Mariners will unveil a statue of franchise legend Ichiro Suzuki at T-Mobile Park in the course of the 2026 season.
Team chairman and managing accomplice John Stanton made the announcement Saturday in the course of the ceremony held to retire the No. 51 worn by Suzuki with the Mariners.
‘In 2026, we’ll honor probably the most prolific hitter our recreation has ever seen — the person who holds the all-time document for hits in a season; the person who has extra world hits than some other participant within the historical past of baseball,’ Stanton stated. ‘Next yr, to have fun his transcendent worldwide function in baseball and his management of the Seattle Mariners, we’ll construct a statue of Ichiro Suzuki.’
Suzuki’s likeness would be the fourth set in bronze at T-Mobile Park, which already has honored Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and the late Dave Niehaus, the group’s play-by-play voice from its first recreation on April 6, 1977, till his dying on Nov. 10, 2010.
Suzuki was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., two weeks in the past, becoming a member of Griffey and Martinez. Niehaus, the 2008 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, additionally has his spot within the media part of the Hall of Fame.Ichiro additionally joins Griffey (24), Martinez (11) and Jackie Robinson (42) as the one gamers to have their numbers retired by the franchise.
Hall of Fame member Randy Johnson, who wore 51 with the Mariners earlier than Suzuki, additionally can have his quantity retired by the franchise in 2026.
Ichiro performed 28 skilled seasons — 9 with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan (1992-2000), adopted by 19 with the Mariners (2001-12, 2018-19), New York Yankees (2012-14) and Miami Marlins (2015-17). He performed in 2,653 MLB video games, tallying 3,089 hits, 1,420 runs and 509 stolen bases.
Now 51, Suzuki gained the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in 2001, was a 10-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner and a two-time batting champion. He set the MLB document for many hits in a season with 262 in 2004.
–Field Level Media