Jackie Robinson’s influence on baseball and the Los Angeles Dodgers
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The Seattle Mariners honored Hall of Fame outfielder Ichiro Suzuki with a statue outside T-Mobile Park on Friday, April 10, but the unveiling ceremony did not go as planned.
As the cover was removed to reveal the Suzuki statue, onlookers, including former Mariners greats Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez, took note of the bent and broken baseball bat atop the Mariners legend’s iconic stance at the plate.
“There was a fastball in there,” joked Mariners radio chief Rick Riz, who presided over Friday’s ceremony. “And yet he hit a base!… ‘What a work of art.’
Those in attendance found humor in the awkward situation, and the statue was repaired within an hour.
Suzuki played 28 years in professional baseball, including 19 seasons in Major League Baseball. He began his MLB career with the Mariners in 2001 and played with them until 2012. During that time, he was in complete control. He was a sight to behold. He was named the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2001. He also won the Silver Slugger Award, the American League Batting Champion, and the American League Stolen Base King.
His 2001 season was no fluke. Suzuki won an All-Star Award and a Gold Glove Award in each of his first 10 seasons. He set a record with 262 hits in 2004, and that record still stands.
He finished his career with 3,089 hits in 9,934 at-bats and a batting average of .311. Needless to say, his bat on the field rarely malfunctioned. Suzuki totaled 117 home runs, 780 RBIs, and an OPS of .757. His total number of stolen bases is 509.
Suzuki’s number 51 was retired by the Mariners on August 9, 2025, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame one month earlier.
