Tuesday afternoon was a big one for the Seattle Mariners - and their fans - as longtime M's legend Ichiro Suzuki was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fa

Seattle Mariners icon Ichiro Suzuki is the first Japanese player in history to gain admittance to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

After the Japanese legend was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier in the day, the Seattle Mariners added to Suzuki’s big day by announcing that they will retire his iconic No. 51 on Aug. 9 this summer.

Ichiro will be the first Japanese player enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame during the induction ceremony on July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Suzuki could join Mariano Rivera as the only unanimous picks for Cooperstown. Rivera is the only player to get a 100% vote from the BBWAA, appearing on all 425 ballots in 2019. Derek Jeter was picked on 395 of 396 in 2020 and Ken Griffey Jr. on 437 of 440 in 2016.

Suzuki was announced as part of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s class of 2025 alongside starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia and ace closer Billy Wagner.

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner will join Dave Parker and Dick Allen this summer in Cooperstown, New York.

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner have been elected this year. They join Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were selected to the Hall of Fame by the Classic Era Committee in December 2024. The 2025 Induction Ceremony will take place on July 27 in Cooperstown.

Ken Griffey Jr. played on the same Seattle team as Ichiro in 2009 and 2010, near the end of Junior's playing career.

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner were elected into the Baseball HOF last night, and Cooperstown could be in for a record-breaking ceremony when they are inducted on July 27 along with Dave Parker and Dick Allen.

Ichiro Suzuki has become the first Japanese player to make it to baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is likely to be the next.