The new statue was unveiled outside T-Mobile Park on Friday morning.
SEATTLE — Ichiro Suzuki’s statue outside T-Mobile Park was damaged as it was being unveiled Friday morning.
Following a countdown by voice of the Mariners Rick Rizzs, a tarp was pulled off the statue, bending the bat being held by the bronze Ichiro.
The result was laughter from Ichiro and Ken Griffey Jr., two Mariners legends.
The team was quick to turn it into a light-hearted moment on social media.
The bat was fixed shortly after.
The club first announced in August 2025 that Ichiro would be honored with a statue at T-Mobile Park.
Mariners Chairman and Managing Partner John Stanton said at the time the statue would capture Ichiro’s iconic batting stance.
Ichiro became the fourth person honored with a statue at T-Mobile Park, joining broadcaster Dave Niehaus, Griffey and Edgar Martinez.
The latest honor follows several others for Ichiro in recent years. His No. 51 was retired in a pregame ceremony before a sellout crowd at T-Mobile Park in August 2025. That made him the fourth player whose number has been retired by the Mariners, joining Griffey, Martinez and Jackie Robinson, whose number is retired across Major League Baseball.
Ichiro was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July of last year, becoming the third player to represent the Mariners in Cooperstown alongside Griffey and Martinez. He previously was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2022.
Ichiro remains one of the most decorated players in franchise history. He was the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2001, the same season he helped the Mariners win a record-tying 116 games.
He was a 10-time All-Star, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, a three-time Silver Slugger and a two-time batting champion.
He still holds the Major League record for hits in a season after collecting 262 in 2004.
Across 19 Major League seasons with the Mariners, Yankees and Marlins, Ichiro played in 2,653 games and collected 3,089 hits. He finished with a .311 batting average.
In Mariners history, he ranks among the club’s top players in nearly every major offensive category and owns franchise records for at-bats, hits, triples, batting average and stolen bases.
Since retiring in 2019, Ichiro has continued with the organization as special assistant to the chairman, working with Mariners players and staff.
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