SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 09: Former Seattle Mariners player Ichiro Suzuki speaks during the Ichiro Number Retirement Ceremony before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at T-Mobile Park on August 09, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
SEATTLE - As the Seattle Mariners retired Ichiro Suzuki's No. 51 jersey on Saturday night, team chairman John Stanton announced a new statue of the Hall of Famer will join those of Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr. outside the stadium next year.
"In 2026, we will honor the most prolific hitter our game has ever seen – the man who holds the all-time record for hits in a season; the man who has more global hits than any other player in the history of baseball," Stanton said during the announcement ceremony. "Next year, to celebrate his transcendent international role in baseball and his leadership of the Seattle Mariners, we will build a statue of Ichiro Suzuki."
The statue of Ichiro will be the fourth statue at T-Mobile Park, joining Martinez, Griffey, and broadcaster Dave Niehaus. All four have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The pose will be of Ichiro's famous batting stance.
The retirement of Ichiro's No. 51 on Saturday night gave the Mariners their fourth retired number. It joined Martinez's No. 11, Griffey's No. 24, and the No. 42 of Jackie Robinson, which has been retired by every team in MLB for Robinson's impact in breaking the color barrier.
"I'm damn proud to be a Seattle Mariner," Suzuki said.
The Mariners didn't provide any further details about when the statue would be unveiled next year. The team also plans to honor Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson by retiring the No. 51 for him as well in a separate ceremony next season.
Ichiro and Johnson will join a rare group of players to have a number retired for multiple players on the same team.
The Athletics have retired No. 34 for both Dave Stewart and Rollie Fingers, the Cubs have retired No. 31 for Greg Maddux and Ferguson Jenkins, the Nationals (Expos), have retired No. 10 for Rusty Staub and Andre Dawson, and the Yankees have retired No. 8 for Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey.
Additionally, with the league-wide retirement of No. 42 for Robinson, the St. Louis Cardinals (Bruce Sutter), and Yankees (Mariano Rivera) have players sharing the retired number with the Dodgers legend.
Ichiro credited Johnson for allowing him to wear the No. 51 when he came to the Mariners from Japan in 2001.
"I couldn't have worn that number without his consent. He gave it, and he gave it graciously," Suzuki said.
"It will be my great honor to attend his (ceremony) next season."
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
MORE MARINERS NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Cal Raleigh three-run blast in eighth inning carries Seattle Mariners to 3-2 win over Rays
Dominic Canzone's game-winning RBI single in 11th gives Seattle Mariners 4-3 win over White Sox
Julio Rodríguez 3-run blast leads Seattle Mariners to 8-6 win over White Sox
Suárez, Naylor hit two-run homers, Woo shines as Seattle Mariners beat White Sox 8-3
Seattle Mariners to hold week of festivities in honor of Ichiro
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.