Ichiro Suzuki says he never dreamt of having his number retired by the Mariners
Suzuki met with reporters before Seattle's game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, the morning after his jersey was retired by the team.
Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last month, Suzuki was touched by praise from Mariners manager Dan Wilson, a former teammate, and team chairman John Stanton, who announced that Suzuki will have his own statue at T-Mobile Park, joining broadcaster Dave Niehaus, Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez.
He said he never imagined his number would be enshrined at the ballpark.
'It's something that you couldn't even dream or think about, and it actually happened,' Suzuki said through a translator.
Suzuki is the third Seattle player to have his number retired by the team, joining Griffey and Martinez.
'The view I had yesterday from the field, looking up at a full, full stand of Mariners fans, was amazing. At Cooperstown, there were a lot of fans, but it was kind of from a higher position looking down. This yesterday where we were looking up, and it was just a full stand of people, that was great,' Suzuki said
Suzuki first joined the Mariners in 2001. That year he joined Fred Lynn (1975) as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.
Over his 19-year career, Suzuki was a two-time AL batting champion and 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, hitting .311 with 117 homers, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle, the New York Yankees and Miami.
Suzuki wound up with 3,089 hits over his career that included 14 total seasons with Seattle. After stints with the Yankees and Miami, he spent his final two seasons with the Mariners and retired in 2019.
The Mariners will erect the statue of Suzuki at T-Mobile Park in 2026. It will feature his iconic batting stance pose.
Suzuki still works for the Mariners, serving as a special assistant to Stanton. He often works out with players during pregame warmups, which he did Sunday.
'I think what's special about this team is you see a lot of teams where negativity kind of gets passed down, and it just kind of grows with a team. That's something that happens a lot and its easy for negativity to grow within a team,' Suzuki said. 'But this team, the positive is getting passed down from player to player, and it is growing and growing. ... It's the positive that is being passed around and you can just see it and feel it.'
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
At what point would it make sense for the Giants to start Jaxson Dart in Week 1?
In 2012, Russell Wilson arrived to the Seattle Seahawks as a rookie and his role seemed well defined. The Seahawks had just paid Matt Flynn a three-year, $26 million deal to be their starter. Wilson was a third-round pick out of Wisconsin, and he'd wait his turn. Tarvaris Jackson was competing with Flynn for the QB1 job, not Wilson. Wilson wasn't taken seriously as a threat to be the team's starter. Then the preseason happened. By the time August was nearly over, the Seahawks knew that Wilson was their best quarterback and it didn't make much sense to play someone else over him even though he was a rookie. Wilson would make the Pro Bowl in nine of his 10 Seahawks seasons, including his rookie season, and help the franchise win its only Super Bowl. Therefore, Wilson should recognize the story that is unfolding in New York Giants camp. When the Giants drafted Jaxson Dart in the first round, it was meant to be a bit of a developmental pick. Dart didn't run a pro-style offense at Ole Miss, and it was repeated often that he was a prospect with good NFL traits who would need to sit for a while. Few thought he had any chance to be the Week 1 starter. But what if, like Wilson on the 2012 Seahawks, Dart is simply the Giants' best option going into the season? Jaxson Dart impresses Dart's preseason debut last week was impressive. He was 12 of 19 for 154 yards, and the standout play was a pretty pass on a deep touchdown. It was just one play but one that will stick in the minds of everyone for a while, at least until Dart gets promoted to the starting job. Giants coach Brian Daboll had plenty of praise for the rookie quarterback. "Just about what I thought he would do," Daboll said. "Efficient, effective, aggressive, confident in the pocket. Some stuff we can work on, but he's doing good." Daboll wasn't over the top in talking up Dart. He said there were good things and things he needed to work on, and that goes for his practice reps too. It's not like Dart is a finished product just because he had a promising preseason debut. But Daboll seems quite happy with what he has seen so far. Dart undeniably has more upside than Wilson. Wilson is a limited quarterback at 36 years old, and that has been evident for a couple of seasons. If the Giants want a veteran who can capably run an offense, without the chance at anything more than baseline level quarterback play, Wilson is fine. He can do that. It will just be hard to resist shooting for something more. When will Dart start? Starting Dart right away isn't as easy as the Giants identifying that he brings more playmaking ability and giving him the spot. It's also more complicated than letting Dart sit and learn for a year, or whatever would be best for his long-term development. Daboll and Giants general manager Joe Schoen aren't guaranteed to be around for the long term. They're both on the hot seat after barely surviving a season that co-owner John Mara summed up as "we stunk." Whatever is best for Daboll and Schoen to give them the best chance to last another season will play into the decision, even if nobody would ever admit that out loud. The most likely outcome is what seemed like the plan when Dart was drafted: Wilson will start the season, and if he struggles then the team will have to make a decision on whether Dart is ready. Nobody associated with the Giants wants to start Dart too soon and then have to bench him if he struggles. However, every time Wilson doesn't play well or the Giants lose, there will be questions about whether a quarterback change is coming. The Giants knew that would happen when they traded up to pick Dart in the first round. Dart could be incredible for the rest of the preseason and force the issue, but it still seems unlikely the Giants would hand Dart the starting job for Week 1. Then again, that's what was being said about Wilson at this point in the preseason 13 years ago.
Newsweek
17 minutes ago
- Newsweek
These 3 Players Have Helped New Teams Most Since Being Traded
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The MLB trade deadline passed just two weeks ago and some teams are already pleased with results from new players. Some players have disappointed in their new homes, but three players in particular are performing at an extremely high level with their new teams. MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 25: Carlos Correa #4 of the Minnesota Twins looks on with Jhoan Duran #59 against the Texas Rangers on May 25, 2024 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 25: Carlos Correa #4 of the Minnesota Twins looks on with Jhoan Duran #59 against the Texas Rangers on May 25, 2024 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Brace Hemmelgarn/Jhoan Duran, Philadelphia Phillies Duran was one of the biggest names traded at the deadline, and he has made quite an impression so far in Philadelphia. Since coming over from the Minnesota Twins, he's appeared four times, allowing just one hit, zero runs, zero walks and striking out three. Duran was a major boost to a Phillies bullpen that ranks 22nd in ERA and he may already be considered the best closer in the National League. Carlos Correa, Houston Astros Correa is back in Houston after spending the last 3 1/2 seasons with the Twins. Since returning to Houston, Correa has a slash line of .364/.429/.545, good for a .974 OPS in 44 at-bats. He has six multi-hit games in August and has seen his batting average increase from .267 to .278 since being traded. Josh Naylor, Seattle Mariners Of any player traded at the MLB trade deadline, Naylor is having the biggest impact with his new team. Since being traded to Seattle from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Naylor has a slash line of .286/.355/.554, with three doubles four home runs, eight RBI and a major league leading 11 stolen bases in that span. Naylor has set franchise and major league records in his short time with the Mariners and he is a huge reason that Seattle entered Wednesday tied for first in the American League West. Josh Naylor is the first player in @MLB HISTORY with 4+ home runs and 10+ stolen bases in his first 15 games with a franchise. Naylor has 4 HR and 11 SB in his first 15 games with Seattle. — Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) August 10, 2025 More MLB: Mets' Carlos Mendoza Responds to Clay Holmes Rotation Question As Concerns Grow
USA Today
19 minutes ago
- USA Today
49ers DC Robert Saleh brushes off awful outing from rookie in NFL preseason debut
After losing Dre Greenlaw and De'Vondre Campbell in the offseason, the San Francisco 49ers are looking for someone to step up and fil major roles at the position besides four-time All-Pro Fred Warner. San Francisco hoped that one of their best options would be Nick Martin, one of their third-round picks from this year's draft. However, with 2023 sixth-round pick Dee Winters really impressing throughout training camp, Martin appears to be fighting for a rotational snaps. During the team's first preseason game of the year, a 30-9 loss to the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium, Martin was noticeable on the field, but not in the way he wanted to be. The rookie finished the day with five tackles, but his missed tackles were one of the fan base's talking points after the game, and while some are worried about his performance, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh isn't one of them. 'Nick's doing a good job," Saleh told reporters on Tuesday. "Obviously, he's a big-time running hit linebacker, so he just has to learn how to control himself at the tackle point and come together. It's getting his feet underneath him and just get his body on the ball carrier until the speed of the game catches up to him. If that makes sense. But he's young. It was his first real live action in over a year and a half, so we're not concerned with some of those missed tackles. I think we'll get those cleaned up.' Martin, 22, was a three-star recruit out of Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana, Texas before committing to Oklahoma State from 2021-24. During his time with the Cowboys, he appeared in 35 games and recorded 203 tackles (24 for a loss), seven sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered. He also earned All-Big 12 honors once. Despite the rough first week Saleh believes in the rookie linebacker and knows he has others to lean on in the locker room. "He's in a good place," Saleh said. "The good thing is, he's got a lot of teammates who have had first preseason games that didn't go so well. So, you just put it to the side and find a way to get better. He's going to have another opportunity to do that against Vegas.' A strong final two games in the preseason could earn Martin the top backup spot in the linebacker room, but more performances like the last, and he could be surpassed by Luke Gifford and Tatum Bethune, who both looked solid against Denver. More 49ers: 49ers 7th-round pick makes surprise entry into battle for starting job
