No. 51 is about to be extra special in Seattle. The Seattle Mariners announced Monday that the team will retire legendary pitcher Randy Johnson’s No. 51 jersey in 2026 — retiring the number for the second time in a year.
Johnson, a 10-time All-Star, spent nine years with the Mariners early in his career. The lefty put up huge stats in Seattle, earning five of his All-Star selections in that span, a Cy Young in 1995 and leading the league in strikeouts for four straight seasons, from 1992-95.
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The Mariners made the announcement on the 35th anniversary of the franchise’s first career no-hitter — thrown by Johnson on June 2, 1990.
While the exact date for Johnson’s jersey retirement has yet to be determined, there’s a small wrinkle: By the time of that ceremony, No. 51 will already be retired. On Aug. 9 later this season, the Mariners are retiring No. 51 in honor of Ichiro Suzuki, while also celebrating his selection to the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.
There’s a good reason for the oddity. When Ichiro first joined the Mariners in 2001, the star right fielder wrote a letter to Johnson asking if he could wear his number, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Johnson gave his blessing.
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In addition, per Nightengale, Johnson intentionally delayed his own retirement ceremony to next year, so that Ichiro could have his own spotlight this year.
As a result, No. 51 will be retired twice in Seattle, honoring both of the legendary former players who wore it.
The pair of 51s will join the three numbers already retired by the Mariners: Ken Griffey Jr.’s No. 24, Edgar Martinez’s No. 11 and the league-wide No. 42 worn by Jackie Robinson.
After his time in Seattle, Johnson went on to play with the Arizona Diamondbacks, earning four straight Cy Young awards from 1999-2002 and winning a World Series in 2001. He threw a perfect game on May 18, 2004, one of only 24 in the history of the MLB.
Johnson was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2015. His No. 51 was retired by Arizona that same year.
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