SEATTLE — A ceremony honoring baseball Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki took an unexpected turn Friday when his newly unveiled statue suffered an embarrassing malfunction.
During the much-anticipated reveal outside T-Mobile Park, the bronze bat on Suzuki’s statue broke off as the covering was removed. Broadcaster Rick Rizzs was counting down from 51 — representing the jersey number the Seattle Mariners retired for their legendary outfielder — when the mishap occurred.
As the curtain dropped away and confetti filled the air, a distinct snapping sound echoed through the crowd when the bat detached and fell.
“Here it is! The statue of one of the greatest players in the history of the game!” Rizzs announced as celebratory music played outside the stadium.
The bronze sculpture shows Suzuki in his iconic batting position. Rather than being upset by the incident, the baseball great found humor in the situation, making a playful reference to Yankees Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera through his interpreter.
“I didn’t think Mariano would come out here,” Suzuki joked with a grin through the interpreter, “and break the bat.”
Stadium crews quickly addressed the problem, reattaching the bat to its proper position at the handle. Suzuki earned his place in baseball history last summer as the first player from Japan to enter the Hall of Fame, receiving an impressive 99.7% of votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
The ceremony brought together Seattle’s three retired number honorees. Ken Griffey Jr. (No. 24) and Edgar Martinez (No. 11) joined Suzuki for the unveiling, with all three pulling away the statue’s covering together. Both Griffey and Martinez also have monuments outside the ballpark.
Suzuki, maintaining his good humor about the broken bat, suggested the flaw was somehow appropriate.
“In the Hall of Fame, I was short one vote,” Suzuki explained. “Today, the bat was broke. It kind of lets me know that I’m still not there, that I still need to keep going. So, this is a good example of that.”
