Ichiro's 'special' relationship with Seattle to culminate in number retirement

SEATTLE -- Throughout Ichiro Suzuki’s Major League career, the now-Hall of Fame outfielder cloaked himself in an aura of mysticism.

Ichiro acted like he knew something everyone else didn’t, from the psychedelic, haute-couture street fashions he wore in and out of Safeco Field to the oft-cryptic platitudes he’d dispense through an interpreter after another 3-for-5 day at the plate.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound phenom from Japan seemed to have it all figured out long before he first set foot in the States in 2001 as a 27-year-old big league rookie.

But being elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame? Doing it as a Mariner while still working for the team and living in the area? Having his No. 51 retired by the Seattle franchise alongside Hall of Famers and former teammates Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez, plus Jackie Robinson?

Even the wise and indomitable Ichiro couldn’t have known all that was coming.

On Tuesday, fresh from hearing the news that he would join CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner as Cooperstown’s Class of ‘25, Ichiro held court at his home stadium, now known as T-Mobile Park, in a press conference alongside team president of business operations Kevin Martinez and interpreter Allen Turner.

Ichiro provided introspection, humble understanding of his place in history and, of course, a little bit of humor.

When asked to describe the most meaningful moment of his Mariners career, Ichiro, whose age now matches that uniform number of 51, did not immediately hearken back to 2001, when he broke into the bigs and won Rookie of the Year and American League MVP honors. He didn’t mention 2004, when he broke George Sisler’s Major League record of 257 hits, finishing with 262.

• Ichiro’s top moments

Instead, he reflected on Opening Day in 2018, when he returned to the Mariners' organization after stints in New York and Miami and was greeted with overwhelming support from the Seattle fans.

“It meant so much to have felt that,” Ichiro said through Turner. “As I’ve gone through my career and interacted with many people, I felt like those peoples’ kindness and their feelings really helped me perform and also be the person that I am.

“Obviously the feelings I have toward the Seattle fans are very special.”

The feelings have been reciprocated by the team, which will honor Ichiro with an official retirement ceremony at T-Mobile on Aug. 9, and by the city, which was set to light up the Space Needle in Mariners blue Tuesday evening in recognition of Ichiro’s Hall election.

“Your historic election today is another example of your excellence, another extraordinary accomplishment among a long list throughout your illustrious and groundbreaking career,” Martinez said.

Happiness and joy were already spreading through the corridors of T-Mobile before No. 51 even set foot in the interview room. Team employees crowded in the hallways, cheering on his awaited arrival with the customary chant “EE-CHEE-RO!”

And now his likeness and legend will permanently set up camp in the upstate New York hamlet that houses the heroes he looked up to as a kid in Kasugai and later a young pro in Nippon Professional Baseball and beyond.

Ichiro said repeatedly that he didn’t have time to soak in what this highest of baseball honors truly means. He said he would think about all that some time later in his life.

But for now, he did have time for one wisecrack, delivered with a Hall of Fame smile.

When asked if he had gotten texts from former teammates, he said he briefly glanced at his phone and recognized a few names, including former Mariners manager Scott Servais.

He added, “If I don’t get one from Junior and [Mike] Sweeney, I’ll be mad at them.”