Credit: X/Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners officially retired Ichiro Suzuki’s iconic No. 51 jersey on Saturday, honoring the Hall of Famer in a pregame ceremony at T-Mobile Park that celebrated his legacy and cemented his place among the franchise’s all-time greats.
Credit: X/Seattle Mariners
Suzuki, who played 14 seasons with the Mariners and became one of the most decorated international players in Major League Baseball history, joins Ken Griffey Jr. (No. 24) and Edgar Martinez (No. 11) as the only players in team history to have their numbers retired by the club. Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 is also retired league-wide.
A sold-out crowd welcomed Suzuki back to the field with loud chants of “Ich-i-ro! Ich-i-ro!” as he took the microphone. Dressed in a dark suit, Suzuki expressed his gratitude in both English and Japanese.
“I’m so grateful to receive this highest honor,” he told fans.
For the majority of his 20-minute speech, Ichiro addressed the franchise’s other No. 51, who took in the ceremony sitting with the other members of the Mariners Hall of Fame: Randy Johnson.
“When you said 51 in Seattle, you knew it meant Randy Johnson for his many great achievements from 1989 to 1998 in that uniform,” Ichiro said. “When I came here in 2001, I could never have worn that number without Randy’s consent. He gave it and he gave it graciously.”
The Mariners plan to retire Johnson’s No. 51 as well during the 2026 season, making it one of the rare instances in MLB history where the same number is retired for two different players by the same team.
Saturday’s ceremony drew numerous former teammates and club legends, including Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner, Dan Wilson, and of course, Randy Johnson.
Team officials also announced that a statue of Suzuki will be installed outside the ballpark in 2026, depicting his signature batting stance.
Suzuki, 51, retired from professional baseball in 2019. He finished his MLB career with 3,089 hits, 10 All-Star selections, 10 Gold Glove Awards, and the 2001 American League MVP and Rookie of the Year honors. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame a couple of weeks ago.
“Seattle is home,” Suzuki said. “And this number, 51, is part of that story forever.”