Ichiro Suzuki could have been immortalized as a first-ballot Hall of Famer nearly a decade ago. He was last a full-time starter in 2012, at 38. He logged his 3,000th hit in 2016, when he was 42. Still, he made us wait three more years to celebrate his retirement.

On the same day that Ichiro Suzuki learned that he'd been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Seattle Mariners announced that they'll retire his No. 51 during the upcoming season: On August 9, we’ll officially retire Ichiro’s iconic No. 51. #IchiroHOF 8月9日に、イチローの「51」は正式に永久欠番となる。 🔗 https://t.co/7tWKi0G8Dt pic.twitter.com/d794RDFx4r

Ichiro will be the first Japanese player enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame during the induction ceremony on July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.