Fans of Seattle Meriners will find out double 51 in the next season.
The team announced on Monday that it would retire the number 51 worn by Randy Johnson, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame during its nine-plus season with the club in 2026. The news came on the 35th anniversary of Johnson, Johnson threw the first no-star in the history of Meriners.
Meriners traded Johnson at the Houston Astro on the 1998 trade deadline, and when Japanese star Ichiro Suzuki joined the team in 2001, he took the number 51.
The Ichiro version of No. 51 will be retired by the franchise on 9 August, which is just after the Hall of Fame Induction in this summer.
John Stanton, president and managing partner of Meriners, said, “Randy Major League is one of the greatest pitches in both baseball history, and one of the most important figures in the history of our organization.” “During the 1995 season, the 18–2 records (in the 145-game season) that changed the future of this franchise was properly recognized with his first SAPAUNA Award.
“More importantly, and somewhat lost in history, Meriners started a wonderful 27-3 in their 30, in that season, an incredible 24 game compared to a record of 52-63.
“Randy’s extraordinary achievements will be remembered forever and their number 51 will be recognized with retirement.”
The date of Johnson retirement ceremony will not be determined until the 2026 schedule is released.
Ichiro will become the third merriners player to retire their number, Kane Grife will join Junior No. 24 and Edgar Martinez number 11 – both Hall of Fame Indicators. Johnson, Hall of Fame members will also be fourth. Like all MLB teams, Meriners have also retired Jackie Robinson’s number 42.
In his 22-year career, Johnson, now 61, records a record 303–166, a 3.29 ERA and 4,875 strikeouts, which was the second for Nolan Ryan (5,714) only in the major league history. He and Ryan are two out of only four players who record at least 300 wins and 4,000 strikeouts, including Roger Cleamen and Steve Carlton in the short list. He was an all-star 10 times and won five Sye Young Awards, his first with Seattle in 1995.
With merriners, she was now ignored with 51 full games and 19 shutouts with 130–74 with 3.42 ERAs in 274 appearances.
He also played for Montreal Expos (1988–89), Astro (1998), Arizona Diamondback (1999–2004, 2007-08), New York Yankiz (2005-06) and San Francisco Giants (2009). Diamondback retired its number in 2015.
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