Ichiro Stories: What happened if you touched Seattle Mariners legend’s bats

With the Seattle Mariners retiring the No. 51 in honor of new Baseball Hall of Fame member Ichiro Suzuki before Saturday’s 6:40 p.m. game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Sports’ Shannon Drayer filmed five different stories at various spots in the ballpark from her time covering Ichiro as a Mariners insider. Here’s a look at the second story.

Legendary Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki was serious about his equipment. Especially his prized bats.

So what happened when someone accidentally knocked them over?

Ask Mariners insider Shannon Drayer. She’ll tell you, because she found out herself.

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One day before a game in the Mariners dugout, Drayer accidentally came into contact with one of those bats, which then fell to the ground.

“I was mortified,” Drayer recalls from that same M’s dugout.

After taking a moment to think of what to do next, Drayer picked up the bat, leaned it back up against the bench, and “got the heck out of here.”

The next day, Drayer went out of her way to avoid Ichiro’s bats. But they still found her.

For the full story, including the conclusion, watch the video in this post.

Ichiro Suzuki treated his equipment with the utmost respect — even storing his bats in a humidor.

Go inside the unique legacy of Ichiro's Hall of Fame #Mariners career ALL WEEK w/ Shannon Drayer leading up to his number retirement ceremony this Saturday night. #IchiroHOF pic.twitter.com/jiLsfUSwnr

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) August 6, 2025

Look for more Ichiro Stories from Shannon Drayer this week here on the site, or click here for the full video of all five installments on the Seattle Sports YouTube channel.

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