Strange things happen every day. Odd occurrences are a staple of life, and the statue unveiling ceremony for Seattle Mariners great Ichiro Suzuki outside of T-Mobile Park fits that description.
On Friday, April 10, the MLB Hall of Famer was honored by the Mariners in front of their home ballpark before a game against the Houston Astros. The bronze statue depicts Ichiro in his iconic No 51 batting stance wearing his No 51 jersey as an MLB rookie in 2001.
During the ceremony, Ichiro’s bat snapped, creating a viral sensation on social media.Â
“A snapping noise could be heard as the bronze bat flopped down and confetti sprouted up,” The Associated Press reported.
Ichiro made light of the situation, joking with the crowd and with reporters who were there for the special ceremony.
“In the Hall of Fame, I was one vote short [of being unanimously selected], and today, the bat was broken,” Ichiro said, according to Kyodo News. “It reminded me that I’m still lacking something, so I believe this is a good thing.”
Former Mariners teammates (from left) Ken Griffey Jr, Edgar Martinez and Ichiro Suzuki are seen during the statue unveiling ceremony. (©KYODO)
Joking About Pitching Great Mariano Rivera
Ichiro Suzuki also referenced New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera in his remarks after the bat-snapping incident. The Yankees great, a 2019 Hall of Fame inductee, was famous for shattering bats as his explosive cutter tortured hitters.
“I didn’t think Mariano would come out here,” Suzuki joked, according to The Associated Press, “and break the bat.”
Ichiro’s longtime Seattle teammates Ken Griffey Jr and Edgar Martinez, both of whom are Hall of Famers, were on hand for the festivities.
As for the new statue, a quick fix occurred before the game.
“Suzuki’s bat was soon turned upright and reconnected at the handle,” The Associated Press reported.
Later that night, Seattle defeated Houston 9-6 in the series opener.
The new Ichiro Suzuki statue in Seattle. (©KYODO)
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Chicago Cubs slugger Seiya Suzuki hits a fourth-inning single against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 10 at Wrigley Field. (©Kamil Krzaczynski/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS)
Cubs’ Suzuki Makes Season Debut
Chicago Cubs veteran Seiya Suzuki played his first game of the 2026 MLB season on Friday, April 10.
Starting in right field, he batted fifth in the lineup and went 1-for-3, getting a fourth-inning single. Suzuki also walked in the Cubs’ 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field.
Cubs southpaw starter Shota Imanaga tossed six no-hit innings and struck out nine. He left the game after making 100 pitches (68 strikes).
Cubs starter Shota Imanaga pitches against the Pirates. (©KYODO)
The Pirates scored two runs off reliever Caleb Thielbar in the seventh. He took the loss.
Suzuki began the season on the injured list after spraining his right knee in a World Baseball Classic game on March 14. The injury occurred on a failed stolen-base attempt against Venezuela.
Before rejoining the Cubs, Suzuki had a five-game rehabilitation stint with the Double-A Knoxville Smokies of the Southern League. He hit .429 in those games.
“I really wanted to come back to the team,” Suzuki was quoted as saying by The Associated Press, “and it’s really thanks to the support of everybody that I’m here. Unfortunately, we lost. However, I got my first game under my belt. So just kind of focus on the next one.”
Hanshin Tigers slugger Teruaki Sato belts a three-run homer in the seventh inning against the Chunichi Dragons on April 11 at Vantelin Dome Nagoya. (©SANKEI)
Tigers Become 1st NPB Team with 10 Wins in 2026
The reigning Central League champion Hanshin Tigers reached 10 wins in the 2026 season on Saturday, April 11, doing so before any of the NPB‘s other 11 clubs. Hanshin defeated the Chunichi Dragons 9-3 in a game in which it led 7-1 heading into the eighth inning in Nagoya.
The Tigers (10-4) are in first place in the CL, and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows (9-4) are a half-game back in the standings.
In Saturday’s win, Teruaki Sato hit a pair of home runs for the Tigers. Teammates Shota Morishita and Yusuke Ohyama also homered.
The 2025 Japan Series champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (9-4) have the best record in the Pacific League.
Shiga Lakes guard Ai Che Yu in action against the Chiba Jets on April 11 in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. (©B.LEAGUE)
Basketball
Shiga’s Yu Dishes Out Season-High 15 Assists
The Shiga Lakes outplayed the Chiba Jets on Saturday night, earning a 72-67 road victory in the B.League. Taiwanese point guard Ai Che Yu handed out a season-best 15 assists for the Lakes (21-30), who won their fourth straight game.
Shiga power forward Ryan Kriener, a University of Iowa alumni, led all scorers with a career-high 30 points on 10-for-16 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds.
The Lakes, who trailed 57-43 at the end of the third quarter, used a 15-0 run in the fourth quarter to seize control.
Yu and Kriener were instrumental in Shiga’s victory. In the fourth quarter, the visitors outscored the Jets 29-10, and Yu registered nine assists. Kriener scored 16 fourth-quarter points at LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY.
The 24-year-old Yu, who’s in his second season with the Lakes, is No 2 in the B.League in assists (6.1 per game).
Chiba fell to 34-17.
“A 14- or 16-point deficit is obviously not easy to overcome, but we’ve had experience coming back from even tougher situations,” Yu commented after the game. “That’s why, as long as we played good basketball, trusted our teammates, and kept up our defense, we could feel that ‘we can still win’ even as the deficit was closing.”
Lakes head coach Kenjiro Maeda called it a “really tough match.” Speaking to reporters after the game, he added, “I think the players gave it their all, and the sense of unity was truly remarkable.”
Alvark Tokyo forward Shohei Kikuchi (©B.LEAGUE)
Alvark Forward Kikuchi to Retire at End of Season
Shohei Kikuchi, the starting small forward for the Alvark Tokyo during their back-to-back championship seasons of 2017-18 and 2018-19, will retire at the end of the current B.League season.
The Alvark announced Kikuchi’s retirement plans on Friday, April 10.
Kikuchi, 41, joined the Alvark in 2013 and remained with the club until 2022. He spent the next two seasons with B2’s Koshigaya Alphas, then returned to Tokyo for the 2024-25 season.
“With a robust physique built through rigorous training, the ability to read the game, and tenacious defense, he has long embodied the spirit of Alvark Tokyo as a team player who never shied away from self-sacrifice to fulfill his role,” read a portion of a team-issued news release.
Kikuchi has appeared in 25 games this season for Tokyo (34-17). He’s seen limited playing time (averaging under 2 minutes per game) while serving as a mentor for the team’s younger players.
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported me throughout my career,” Kikuchi said in a statement. He cited his family along with Alvark players, staff and the team’s front office, as well as “everyone from the teams I’ve played for and against.”
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Asian University Basketball League Continues Ambitious Growth
The second annual Asian University Basketball League summer tournament will be held August 2-9, 2026, in Huangzhou, China. Teams from China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia and Taiwan, as well as teams from Australia and the Philippines for the first time, will compete in the 12-school tournament.
Participating schools will be announced in May, according to a news release issued on April 9.
In addition to the summer tourney, the AUBL has also unveiled a plan to stage a 16-team home-and-away tournament starting in November 2026. The ambitious plan is for a tournament that culminates with “Asia’s own version of ‘NCAA March Madness’ in 2027,” according to the news release.
Marc Lasry, one of the AUBL’s new investors, believes college basketball has great potential for growth in Asia.
“Collegiate basketball in Asia is ripe for transformation — and the AUBL has established a pan-regional model that positions it as a leader,” said Marc Lasry, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Avenue Capital Group. “Fans are ready to embrace college sports with the same energy that defines its success in the US and Avenue Sports is excited to partner with the league at this important moment.”
Lasry is a former co-owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai is also supporting the AUBL through his investment firm. In addition, Chinese NBA icon Yao Ming and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner David Blitzer’s family office are among the new investors.
For more information, visit the AUBL’s official website.
Christophe Lemaire reacts after his victory aboard Satono Reve in the Takamatsunomiya Kinen on March 29. (©SANKEI)
Horse RacingÂ
Lemaire Leads JRA Jockey RankingsÂ
French rider Christophe Lemaire is the Japan Racing Association’s leading jockey in the 2026 season. As of April 11, Lemaire has 58 victories in 191 rides, according to JRA statistics.
Mirai Iwata is second with 46 wins among his 244 starts, and Kohei Matsuyama is third with 41 wins in 255 starts.
Yuga Kawada is No 4 with 39 victories among his 144 rides. Atsuya Nishimura is fifth with 37 wins in 222 rides.
Trackhouse Racing Team’s Ai Ogura rides during practice for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas Austin on March 27 in Austin, Texas. (©Jerome Miron/IMAGN MAGES/Images/via REUTERS)
Motorcycle Racing
Yamaha to Sign Ogura for 2027 MotoGP Season: Report
Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider Ai Ogura will join Yamaha for the 2027 MotoGP season, Motorsport.com reported on Saturday, April 11.
Ogura, 25, was the Moto2 world champion in 2024, then moved up to MotoGP.
He’s currently in seventh place in the standings after three starts in the 2026 season.
Quotes of the Week
“I think featherweight will be my final challenge. After the Nakatani fight, and one other fight I’ve wanted to do, my last challenge will be [at] featherweight. I’m not going to move up right away, so I’d like to decide [a fight] with the [featherweight] champion at that time.”
―Naoya Inoue, the undisputed super bantamweight champion, discussing his future plans on a TikTok live stream, Boxing News reported on its website on April 9. Inoue meets challenger Junto Nakatani in a blockbuster bout at Tokyo Dome on May 2.
“We have always engaged in fierce competition with the United States. Through this rivalry, we believe that both our overall level of play and our standing as the Japanese national team have steadily risen.”
―Michihisa Kano, the Japan women’s soccer national team’s interim manager, on facing Team USA in an international friendly on April 11 in San Jose, California. The hosts defeated Nadeshiko Japan 2-1. Two more friendlies are scheduled between the US and Japan in the coming days ― on April 14, in Seattle, and April 17, in Commerce City, Colorado.
Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed’s [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ï¼ ed_odeven.
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