The statue of Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki was revealed on Friday, but not without a humorous blunder involving a broken bat.
As broadcaster Rick Rizzs announced, “we’re going to count down from 51!”—a reference to Suzuki’s retired jersey number with the Seattle Mariners—the curtain was lifted to unveil the bronze statue, resulting in the bat falling off in a clatter.
With confetti flying, Rizzs exclaimed, “Here it is! The statue of one of the greatest players in the history of the game!” as festive music played outside T-Mobile Park.
The statue captures Suzuki in his batting stance. He appeared to find the incident amusing, joking, through an interpreter, that former New York Yankees Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera had once again gotten the best of him.
“I didn’t think Mariano would come out here,” Suzuki remarked with a grin, “and break the bat.”
The Mariners quickly addressed the issue, reattaching the bat to the statue with the handle upright. The sculpture was crafted by Lou Cella from Chicago, who also created statues for Mariners legends Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez, as well as notable figures like University of Washington football coach Don James, Seattle Storm icon Sue Bird, and former Seattle SuperSonics player and coach Lenny Wilkens.
For a photo session with Cella, Suzuki donned a jersey from the 2001 season, the year he claimed both the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year honors.
“I was pleased to find that I could still fit into that uniform, and I dare say that Junior and Edgar might not have been able to,” Suzuki shared. “So, I felt good about that.”
Last summer, Suzuki was inducted into the Hall of Fame, becoming only the third player from the Mariners to have his jersey retired, joining Griffey (No. 24) and Martinez (No. 11).
Griffey and Martinez were present at the ceremony and assisted Suzuki in unveiling the statue.
“To share this moment with them, I reflect on how it all began,” Suzuki said. “It has truly been an extraordinary journey.”
Making history as the first player born in Japan to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Suzuki received an impressive 99.7% of the votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
In a light-hearted manner, Suzuki viewed the flaw in his statue as a fitting reflection of his journey.
“In the Hall of Fame, I was just short one vote,” he noted. “Today, the bat was broken. It reminds me that there is still more to achieve. This serves as a perfect example of that.”
