NEW YORK — Ichiro Suzuki, a definitive choice for baseball’s Hall of Fame, experienced a mix of excitement and anxiety while anxiously awaiting a phone call that many anticipated he would receive. As the minutes ticked away without a call, he found himself becoming increasingly nervous. “I actually started getting kind of nervous,” he expressed through a translator, adding that he felt relieved upon receiving the news.
Suzuki’s election into the Hall of Fame marks a significant milestone as he is the first player from Japan to be honored in this way, narrowly missing a unanimous selection by just one vote. He was elected alongside renowned players CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner. This choice is particularly testament to his remarkable journey, which began when he departed from the Pacific League’s Orix BlueWave in November 2000 to join Major League Baseball as Seattle’s inaugural Japanese position player. “I don’t think anybody in this whole world thought that I would be a Hall of Famer,” he remarked, acknowledging the gravity of the achievement.
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America cast 394 votes for Suzuki, equating to an impressive 99.7%. In contrast, Sabathia garnered support on 342 ballots (86.8%), while Wagner secured 325 ballots (82.5%), both comfortably crossing the necessary threshold of 75%. Suzuki and Sabathia were both elected on their first ballot appearance, whereas Wagner achieved this on his 10th and final chance. The induction ceremony for this esteemed group is set for July 27 in Cooperstown, alongside other inductees Dave Parker and Dick Allen.
In the realm of unanimous selections, only Mariano Rivera has achieved the perfect score, earning 100% of the ballots in 2019, while Derek Jeter came close in 2020 with 395 votes out of 396. To honor Suzuki’s historical achievement, Seattle’s iconic Space Needle illuminated in blue. The Mariners also announced their plans to retire Suzuki’s jersey number, 51, on August 9.
During his career, Suzuki excelled as a two-time American League batting champion, a ten-time All-Star, and a highly regarded Gold Glove outfielder. He maintained a batting average of .311, hitting 117 home runs, collecting 780 RBIs, and stealing 509 bases. His career spanned across games with the Seattle Mariners (2001-12; 2018-19), the New York Yankees (2012-14), and the Miami Marlins (2015-17). Renowned for his exceptional contact hitting, he amassed 1,278 hits in Japan and an impressive 3,089 in MLB, famously setting a single-season record of 262 hits in 2004, yielding a combined hit total of 4,367, eclipsing Pete Rose’s MLB record of 4,256.
Now serving as a special assistant for the Mariners, Suzuki continues to don baseball attire during home workouts, aiming to set a positive example for current players. “I want to be able to show the players how I did it,” he stated, further expressing his desire to inspire high school players in Japan about the professionalism expected in baseball.
CC Sabathia, who placed second to Suzuki in the 2001 AL Rookie of the Year race, is a celebrated six-time All-Star, 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner, and a member of the victorious World Series team in 2009. His career record shows 251 wins, 161 losses, a 3.74 ERA, and 3,093 strikeouts, ranking him third in strikeouts among left-handed pitchers, during his 19 seasons spent with Cleveland, Milwaukee, and New York Yankees.
Sabathia expressed a fondness for being recognized with a Yankees insignia on his Hall of Fame plaque. “The Yankees is the place that wanted me,” he revealed, emphasizing the strong connection he feels with New York. Even after a trying Game 7 loss in the 2017 AL Championship series, he chose to extend his playing career after realizing his statistics were nearing Hall-worthy levels.
Wagner, who was five votes short in the previous year’s voting, faced substantial hurdles in the past decade but ultimately achieved election on this attempt. Reflecting on his journey, he commented, “It’s not been an easy 10 years to sit here and swallow a lot of things that you have to swallow.” Initially a right-handed thrower, Wagner reinvented himself as a left-handed pitcher after suffering injuries at a young age, and has a striking family connection as his son Will debuted in Major League Baseball last August.
As a player primarily recognized as a reliever, Wagner joins an exclusive group of nine pitchers in the Hall, becoming the only left-hander among them. His career statistics include seven All-Star selections, a 2.31 ERA, and 422 saves across tenures with Houston, Philadelphia, the New York Mets, Boston, and Atlanta.
Carlos Beltrán was notably close to election this cycle, falling short by 19 votes. Other players also made their mark, like Andruw Jones, who is on the cusp of further contention with two more chances, while Chase Utley’s presence on the ballot increased notably. However, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramírez continue to experience challenges due to past controversies related to performance-enhancing drugs.
Several players will be left off future Hall of Fame ballots after receiving insufficient support. Next year’s ballot is set to welcome new candidates such as Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun, and Matt Kemp to the ongoing conversations regarding baseball’s greatest players.
