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Seattle - The Seattle Mariners unveiled a bronze statue of Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki outside T-Mobile Park on Friday, but the statue's bat snapped near the handle during the curtain-pull reveal, causing the barrel to veer to the right and prompting laughter from Suzuki and other attendees. Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez joined Suzuki for the unveiling and the three pulled a tarp off the statue together; Suzuki quipped after the ceremony that New York Yankees Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera "got the best of him." Mariners staff shortly repaired the display, turning the bat upright and reconnecting it at the handle so the ceremony could proceed. Suzuki, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer and became the first Japanese-born player elected with a near-unanimous 99.7 percent of the vote, was also one of three Mariners to have his number retired by the franchise last year, joining Griffey and Martinez. Suzuki said the statue's imperfection, noting he was short one vote for the Hall, felt fitting and served as a reminder to keep striving.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.