Seattle Mariners Legend Ichiro Suzuki Makes Obvious Choice For Hall of Fame
The Seattle Mariners will have several events during the season to honor Ichiro Suzuki being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27.
Suzuki will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on opening day on March 27 against the Athletics. The Mariners will host "Ichiro Suzuki Hall of Fame Weekend" during a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays from Aug. 8-10. Suzuki will have his No. 51 retired by the organization before the game on Aug. 9.
Suzuki has been involved with Seattle since he retired and is often spotted before games shagging balls in the outfield during batting practice. He spent the majority of his 19-year major league career with the Mariners. It was farily obvious which team's cap Suzuki would be wearing on his Hall of Fame plaque.
According to a story written by the Associated Press that was shared on Seattle Sports, Suzuki will be wearing the Seattle insignia on his Hall of Fame plaque.
The decision doesn't come as a shock. Outside of his time with the Mariners, Suzuki played with the New York Yankees from 2012-14 and the Miami Marlins from 2015-17.
Suzuki signed with Seattle before the 2001 season after a nine-year stint with the Orix BlueWave of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball from 1992-2000.
In his first season in the U.S., Suzuki won the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP awards. He had 262 hits in 2004 to set the all-time single-season record. He finished his career with the most career hits by a professional including his time in Japan with 4,367.
Ichiro Suzuki won 2007 All-Star Game MVP honors after going 3-for-3 with 2 RBI and the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star history #IchiroHOF pic.twitter.com/akf2PxYJHW
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) December 20, 2024
Suzuki will be the third player inducted into the Hall of Fame with the Mariners cap on his plaque. Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez, who both have their numbers retired by Seattle, are the other two.
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