LOOK: Mariners unveil, and then immediately break, Ichiro statue outside T-Mobile Park

The ceremony did not quite go as planned for the Mariners

The 2026 Major League Baseball season has thus far not unfolded as hoped for the Seattle Mariners, who enter Friday's slate at 4-9, tying them for the worst record in baseball. Apparently, those organizational struggles extend to off-the-field matters, as well.

You see, the Mariners on Friday unveiled -- or attempted to unveil -- a bronze statue of franchise legend and Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki in which the prolific batsman is captured in his iconic batting stance (tug of the sleeve and everything). All of that sounds fine and good and routine enough, as such things go. 

As you're about to see, though, the process of removing the cover from the statue sawed off Ichiro's bat in a way that no pitcher was ever able to:

We have a malfunction pic.twitter.com/4Ga4vvaIu5

— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) April 10, 2026

Ah well. At least there was confetti and golf claps. 

The mishap, of course, was not lost on the guest of honor:

It was also not lost on Ichiro's fellow statue-haver Ken Griffey Jr., who quipped: "I did not do that," per the Seattle Times.

Presumably, it's an easy fix for Chicago-based sculptor Lou Cella, who, according to the Seattle Times, also crafted the statues of Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, and Dave Niehaus that, like Ichiro's, reside just outside T-Mobile Park.

Fittingly, the Mariners for Friday night's home contest against the division-rival Houston Astros will be giving away miniature replicas of the freshly unveiled Ichiro statue to the first 40,000 fans. Fans wishing for the most authentic experience possible are, of course, free to break the bat in half.