Yankees legend Hideki Matsui played seven seasons for the Yankees. It wasn’t until his final one, in 2009, with the addition of lefty ace CC Sabathia, that he managed to get that elusive World Series ring.

Ichiro Suzuki received a special honor on Tuesday when he was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Now, the team he spent most of his career

On the same day that Ichiro Suzuki learned that he'd been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Seattle Mariners announced that they'll retire his No. 51 during the upcoming season: On August 9, we’ll officially retire Ichiro’s iconic No. 51. #IchiroHOF 8月9日に、イチローの「51」は正式に永久欠番となる。 🔗 https://t.co/7tWKi0G8Dt pic.twitter.com/d794RDFx4r

Players are elected to the Hall of Fame provided they are named on at least 75% of ballots cast by eligible voting members of the BBWAA. With 394 ballots submitted in the 2025 election, candidates needed to receive 296 votes to be elected.

Ichiro Suzuki could have been immortalized as a first-ballot Hall of Famer nearly a decade ago. He was last a full-time starter in 2012, at 38. He logged his 3,000th hit in 2016, when he was 42. Still, he made us wait three more years to celebrate his retirement.

Former Seattle Mariners outfielder and the franchise's all-time leader in hits, Ichiro Suzuki, is all but guaranteed to hear his name included as one of the 202

The Seattle Mariners announced they will be retiring the No. 51 this August to celebrate Ichiro Suzuki as he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

The trio of stars, each of whom spent part of their career in New York, will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 27.

ICHIRO SUZUKI, CC SABATHIA AND BILLY WAGNER The wait is over. For two of the three newest members, it was the shortest wait possible. For the third, the longest. Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner are officially Hall of Fame-bound,

Ichiro will join Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Jackie Robinson as the only jerseys retired by the Mariners.

One exchange the former Yankees outfielder was recorded for history by legendary sports reporter Peter Gammons in a story written for The Athletic in May 2018. In it, Gammons retells a hilarious interaction with his coaches when he was a member of the Miami Marlins in 2017.