Well, that didn’t go as planned.
As the Mariners unveiled a statue of Ichiro Suzuki on Friday afternoon, it became quickly apparent that something was very wrong.
Ichiro’s bat broke.
The Hall of Famer’s arm was outstretched, holding the base of the bat, but the barrel was bent nearly 90 degrees.
Despite the mishap, Ichiro laughed it off and joked about former Yankees teammate Mariano Rivera’s famous bat-breaking cutter.
“I didn’t think Mariano would come out here and break the bat,” he said
The Mariners are working to fix the bat for their former player of 14 years — and were quick to make light of the situation.
“Breaking: We’ve updated tonight’s Ichiro Replica Statue giveaway,” they posted on X with a picture of the figurine with a broken bat.
Ichiro was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, receiving 393 votes out of 394, and he didn’t fail to poke fun at the lone Baseball Writers’ Association voter who chose not to include him on their ballot despite a stacked resume.
“Three‑thousand hits or 262 hits in one season are achievements recognized by the writers. Well, all but one of you. And by the way, the offer for that writer to have dinner at my home has now expired,” Ichiro told the Cooperstown crowd.
He also had his No. 51 retired during a pregame ceremony in August 2025. It made him the fourth player to have his number retired by the franchise, joining Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Jackie Robinson, whose number is retired across all of MLB.
Ichiro is the fourth person honored with a statue at T-Mobile Park. He joins broadcaster Dave Niehaus, Griffey and Martinez.
The 52-year-old still remains highly involved with Seattle. He even wears the uniform and works out with the team on occasion.
