The Seattle Mariners are doing great right now. They have won nine of their last 10 games, and have got themselves into contention in the American League West Division title. However on Saturday, they took time to celebrate one of the greatest Mariners of all-time in Ichiro Suzuki of Aichi, Japan. Suzuki’s number 51 was retired by the Mariners prior to their 7-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Seattle honoured Suzuki the same year he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He was inducted alongside pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, outfielder Dave Parker and corner infielder Dick Allen.
Suzuki’s statistics with the Mariners
Suzuki played 12 seasons with the Mariners in two different time periods, mostly in right field. He spent a full decade with the Mariners from 2001 to 2011, and two more years again in 2018 and 2019 to close out his Major League Baseball career. Suzuki batted .321 with 99 home runs and 633 runs batted in. During 1861 games, 7907 at bats and 8536 plate appearances, he scored 1181 runs, and had 2542 hits, 295 doubles, 79 triples, 438 stolen bases, 517 walks, 3292 total bases, 28 sacrifice bunts, 37 sacrifice flies, with an on base percentage of .365 and slugging percentage of .416.
Suzuki is number one all-time in Mariners history in batting average, hits, triples, and stolen bases. He also holds the Mariners single season record in batting average (.372 in 2004), hits (262 in 2004), triples (12 in 2005).
In Suzuki’s first ten seasons with the Mariners, he was an American League All-Star (2001 to 2010). He also led the American League in hits seven times, Major League Baseball in stolen bases with 56 in 2001, the American League with a .350 batting average in 2001, and the Major Leagues with a .374 batting average in 2024.
Who else has had their number retired by the Mariners?
Suzuki is the third Mariners player to have his number retired. He follows Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr. Martinez has his number 11 retired and Griffey Jr. had his number 24 retired.
Mariners red hot
Seattle has won seven straight games. They swept the Chicago White Sox in the middle of last week in the Pacific Northwest and then the Rays over the weekend. In Saturday’s win, center fielder Juilo Rodriguez of Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic hit two home runs, and catcher Cal Raleigh of Cullowhee, North Carolina hit his 44th home run of the season, which leads Major League Baseball. Seattle is at 66 wins and 53 losses, and are half a game back of the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West.
