(Photo credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images)

The Seattle Mariners will unveil a statue of franchise legend Ichiro Suzuki at T-Mobile Park during the 2026 season.

Team chairman and managing partner John Stanton made the announcement Saturday during the ceremony held to retire the No. 51 worn by Suzuki with the Mariners.

'In 2026, we will honor the most prolific hitter our game has ever seen -- the man who holds the all-time record for hits in a season; the man who has more global hits than any other player in the history of baseball,' Stanton said. 'Next year, to celebrate his transcendent international role in baseball and his leadership of the Seattle Mariners, we will build a statue of Ichiro Suzuki.'

Suzuki's likeness will be the fourth set in bronze at T-Mobile Park, which already has honored Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and the late Dave Niehaus, the team's play-by-play voice from its first game on April 6, 1977, until his death on Nov. 10, 2010.

Suzuki was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., two weeks ago, joining Griffey and Martinez. Niehaus, the 2008 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, also has his spot in the media section of the Hall of Fame.Ichiro also joins Griffey (24), Martinez (11) and Jackie Robinson (42) as the only players to have their numbers retired by the franchise.

Hall of Fame member Randy Johnson, who wore 51 with the Mariners before Suzuki, also will have his number retired by the franchise in 2026.

Ichiro played 28 professional seasons -- nine with the Orix Blue Wave in Japan (1992-2000), followed by 19 with the Mariners (2001-12, 2018-19), New York Yankees (2012-14) and Miami Marlins (2015-17). He played in 2,653 MLB games, tallying 3,089 hits, 1,420 runs and 509 stolen bases.

Now 51, Suzuki won the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in 2001, was a 10-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner and a two-time batting champion. He set the MLB record for most hits in a season with 262 in 2004.

--Field Level Media