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.

The five newcomers, including Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27, 2025, in Cooperstown, New York.

That has long been the assumption among baseball fans regarding the Japanese outfielder who played the majority of his 19-year MLB career with the Seattle Mariners ... classic era inductees Dave Parker and Dick Allen as the baseball's Hall of Fame class ...

who would send one of their few useful players to fill a contending team’s need and the Mariners get a player from that team. A random and quick hypothetical: Seattle sends catcher Harry Ford ...

The Seattle Mariners added to their international signing class on Monday, coming to terms with Diago Machado out of Mexico. Reporter Francys Romero had the information on social media ...

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.

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

When he first arrived in Seattle ... Mariners player to earn election into the Hall of Fame, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (inducted in 2016) and Edgar Martinez (2019). “This challenge started in 2001,” Ichiro said via his longtime interpreter Allen Turner.

The Mariners legend was expecting a phone call ... into the Hall at Cooperstown on July 27 along with Dave Parker and Dick Allen, voted in last month by the classic era committee.

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.