Call 2025 the Year of Ichiro. The former Mariners superstar was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote (named on all but one ballot) and will be enshrined this coming July. He’ll also have his No. 51 retired by the Mariners in a ceremony this summer. On top of that, he will also throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Mariners’ opener this season, the team announced Monday.
That game will be Thursday, March 27, against the A’s at 7:10 p.m. local time. He’s thrown out a first pitch before and he brought the smoke.
The 51-year-old Ichiro retired in 2019 with 3,089 career hits, in MLB, with a .311 batting average. He led the majors in hits seven times and his impact on the game, globally, couldn’t be summed up in numbers. He was an icon and it’s fitting that he’s getting his full due here in 2025 to go with his Hall of Fame induction.
