04/10/26 05:06:00
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04/10 17:04 CDT Ichiro Suzuki's statue unveiling has a mishap as bat snaps
during ceremony
Ichiro Suzuki's statue unveiling has a mishap as bat snaps during ceremony
By ANDREW DESTIN
AP Sports Writer
SEATTLE (AP) --- Oh, snap.
The unveiling of Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki's statue had an unforced error on
Friday --- a broken bat.
As broadcaster Rick Rizzs declared "we're going to count down from 51!" --- a
nod to Suzuki's jersey number, which was retired by the Seattle Mariners ---
the curtain covering the bronze statue was pulled down, and so, too, went the
bat.
A snapping noise could be heard as the bronze bat flopped down and confetti
sprouted up.
"Here it is! The statue of one of the greatest players in the history of the
game!" Rizzs declared as the curtain was pulled and a celebratory tune played
outside of T-Mobile Park.
The statue depicts Suzuki in his batting stance. He appeared to find the mishap
to be hilarious, and joked through an interpreter that New York Yankees Hall of
Fame closer Mariano Rivera got the best of him again.
"I didn't think Mariano would come out here," Suzuki said with a smile, "and
break the bat."
It did not take long for the Mariners to fix the statue; Suzuki's bat was soon
turned upright and reconnected at the handle. The statue was sculpted by
Chicago-based Lou Cella, who also produced statues of Mariners greats Ken
Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez, University of Washington football coach Don
James, Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird, and former Seattle SuperSonics player and
coach Lenny Wilkens.
Suzuki said he wore a jersey from the 2001 season, when he won both AL MVP and
Rookie of the Year, for a photo shoot with Cella.
"I can say I was happy that I was still able to fit into that uniform, and
probably could say Junior and Edgar probably couldn't do that," Suzuki said.
"So, I was happy about that."
Suzuki was inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer and last year became only
the third Mariners player to have his jersey retired by the franchise, joining
Griffey (No. 24) and Martinez (No. 11).
Griffey and Martinez joined Suzuki for the ceremony and helped him pull the
curtain off the statue.
"To have this moment with them, I look back at how it all started," Suzuki
said. "And it's just been an unbelievable experience."
Suzuki made history as the first Japanese-born player inducted into the Hall of
Fame, earning a near-unanimous 99.7% of the vote from the Baseball Writers'
Association of America.
The way the jovial Suzuki saw it, his statue having an imperfection was only
fitting.
"In the Hall of Fame, I was short one vote," Suzuki said. "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."
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
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