When you think of the Seattle Mariners, the first player that comes to mind is Ken Griffey Jr. Also, you think of Ichiro Suzuki. Both were foundational pieces for the Mariners in their tenures with the club. Griffey Jr. has his number retired and the Mariners announced that Ichiro will soon be joining him.

On August 9, 2025, Ichiro Suzuki will have his number 51 retired. The team will have a pre-game ceremony inside T-Mobile Park in what will be a great day for Mariner baseball. This is more than earned and deserved, as this caps off everything else he’s achieved in his career.

Ichiro Enshrined in Seattle

Ichiro Suzuki was a tremendous talent. This player may not have had the raw power, but he put bat to ball and managed to put the ball in play. His approach at the plate was phenomenal and he could scan the field and almost put the ball exactly where he wanted it to go. Afterall, he did have a career batting average of .311 and an on base percentage of .355. In fact, he leads the Mariners in hits to this day, a record that may not be broken. His first stint with the Mariners, he finished with a batting average below .300 just once. He was a machine and a consistent hitter.

Ichiro was already enshrined in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, and was one vote shy of being the first position player to be unanimously voted in. Now, he forever gets his number retired and will join Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr, and Jackie Robinson. It brought tears to his eyes, in what’s been an emotional winter and in a good way.

No Seattle Mariner will ever wear No. 51 again 👏 pic.twitter.com/hHCCJ5BMUO

— MLB (@MLB) January 22, 2025

Suzuki without question deserves this nod. He was a staple to the Mariners and did so many great things with the organization. He helped guide them to their best season in franchise history, while also winning rookie of the year and AL MVP. 2001 was special for that reason alone and was also their lone playoff appearance with Suzuki in the fold.

Ichiro Suzuki had 200+ hits, 100+ runs scored and 30+ stolen bases in each of his first eight MLB seasons.

No other player in MLB history had more than six total seasons reaching each of those marks in their MLB careers (Ty Cobb, Willie Keeler). pic.twitter.com/iAx1ZUiUGS

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) January 23, 2025

Suzuki was a machine his first eight seasons. He had 200+ hits, 100+ runs, and 30+ stolen bases. He sits alone at that mountain top. Suzuki is truly the definition of commitment to excellence and his play on the field is a perfect example of that.

Suzuki had a decorated playing career. He was a 10x all-star as a member of the Mariners, AL MVP (2001), 3x silver slugger (all as a member of the Mariners), 10x gold glove winner (as a member of the Mariners), won defensive player of the year, and was named the Mariners MVP five times.

Ichiro is the Mariners and you cannot think of the Mariners without mentioning his name. He still loves this team so much, he comes around and brings his glove with him.

Ichiro is Baseball. ⚾️

At last year’s Mariners Spring Training, Ichiro showed up unannounced, by himself & casually did his thing.

When I asked why he was there, a Mariners staffer shrugged: “Oh, he just shows up whenever he wants.”

There were maybe 3 people watching. pic.twitter.com/C1Xkwg3XUn

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) January 22, 2025

This will forever be a great day for Mariners baseball and for Ichiro himself.