Seattle Mariners Will Retire 2025 Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki's No. 51 Jersey
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SEATTLE — The elite echelon of Seattle Mariners players grew larger on Jan. 21 when it was announced that Ichiro Suzuki would be one of three 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees alongside CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.
Suzuki will be joining fellow franchise greats Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Suzuki will also be joining those two Seattle legends in another prestigious group.
It's been a franchise rule that players eligible to have their jersey retired must be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Griffey Jr. (No. 24) and Martinez (No. 11) met that criteria and have their uniform numbers hanging in the left-center corner of T-Mobile Park.
And with that box checked off, President of Business Operations Kevin Martinez announced on Jan. 21 at a news conference that Suzuki's No. 51 will also be retired by the franchise.
"From the moment you arrived in Seattle, you demonstrated your incredible passion, respect and love of the game of baseball," Martinez said to Suzuki during the news conference. "Every time you stepped on the field, you energized fans in the Northwest, in Japan and around the world with both your skill and your style of play. You were an inspiration to everyone. And you did it all while staying true to yourself, showcasing your wonderful personality both in the clubhouse and on the field. It was simply a joy to watch you play. And you continue to make an impact on the next generation of players as one of the game's greatest ambasadors. Ichiro, on behalf of everyone in our organization, chairman and managing partner John Stanton, our partnership group and our fans; it's truly my honor and privilege to announce that the Mariners are retiring your No. 51 jersey."
Ichiro Suzuki will join fellow Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. (#24) and Edgar Martinez (#11), along with Jackie Robinson (#42), as the only players to have their uniform number retired by the @Mariners. https://t.co/sSoTfe2Eaj
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) January 22, 2025
The retirement ceremony for Suzuki's jersey will take place on Aug. 9, 2025, before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. That three-day series from Aug. 8-10 will be considered "Ichiro Hall of Fame Weekend."
"For nearly a quarter of a century, Ichiro has been an integral part of the Seattle Mariners organization," Stanton said in a news release. "And today's announcement will assure that his number will be proudly displayed in T-Mobile Park forever as he aptly joins Ken and Edgar as Mariners in the Hall of Fame."
Suzuki is ingrained in the history of the Mariners and baseball as a whole. And this upcoming summer when he accepts his Hall of Fame induction coupled with his jersey retirement will be proof of that.
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