Ichiro Suzuki earned a special honor Tuesday when he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Now, the team where he spent most of his career plans to pay more tribute to him.
The Seattle Mariners announced Tuesday that they will retire Suzuki’s No. 1 jersey.
On August 9, we will retire the iconic number 51 of Ichiro. pic. twitter. com/d794RDFx4r
Suzuki spent 14 of his 19 MLB seasons with the Mariners.
The Mariners will retire Suzuki’s number on August 9 at T-Mobile Park. The ceremony will be part of Ichiro’s Hall of Fame weekend Aug. 8-10, when Seattle hosts the Tampa Bay Rays.
Suzuki will join Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Jackie Robinson as the only players to have their jersey numbers retired by the Mariners.
“For nearly a quarter century, Ichiro has been an integral component of the Seattle Mariners organization,” Mariners president and front office John Stanton said, according to MarinersBlog. “And today’s announcement will ensure his number is proudly displayed at T-Mobile Park and he rightfully joins Ken and Edgar as Mariners in the Hall of Fame. “
During Suzuki’s 19 MLB seasons, he was named to 10 All-Star teams and won 10 Gold Gloves and 3 Silver Sluggers. He was a two-time American League batting champion and led the American League in stolen bases once. .
In 2001, Suzuki won the American League Most Valuable Player and American League Rookie of the Year when he accumulated 242 hits, 34 doubles, 8 triples, 8 home runs, 69 runs batted in, and 53 stolen bases while posting a batting average of 0. 350. Suzuki also holds the record for most hits in a single season with 262.
Suzuki lost one vote before earning unanimous induction into the Hall of Fame, receiving 393 votes out of 394. He is the first player of Japanese descent to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
Suzuki, along with CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27 in Cooperstown, New York.