The Mariners one-upped their own plans to honor franchise legend Ichiro Suzuki. As they celebrated the retirement of Suzuki's No. 51 jersey on Saturday night, Mariners chairman John Stanton announced plans to build a statue of Suzuki, which is expected to be unveiled in 2026.

Suzuki will join fellow Mariners icons Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., and broadcaster Dave Niehaus to have statues outside of T-Mobile Park.

"Yesterday was a surprise. I hadn't heard that, so that was definitely a surprise," Suzuki said of the statue announcement through an interpreter on Sunday. "Seeing my number up there and then now having a statue, I guess I could die peacefully."

This marks just the latest honor for Suzuki, who before getting his jersey retired was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last month.

Suzuki will be immortalized with a statue after beginning and ending his MLB career with the Mariners. He immediately saw success with the Mariners, winning American League MVP and Rookie of the Year in his first MLB season in 2001. Suzuki went on to make 10 straight All-Star Games and claim 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards from his debut season with the Mariners through 2010.

Suzuki spent over a decade with the Mariners before requesting a trade during the 2012 season, and was sent to the Yankees. He spent three years with the Yankees and then Marlins before returning to the Mariners for the end of his career from 2018-19, though he primarily spent that time as part of the team's front office.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mariners Announce Special Plans to Honor Ichiro Suzuki After Jersey Retirement.

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