Baseball

Ichiro Suzuki Elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Along with Ichiro Suzuki, the first Japanese player to become a Hall of Famer, the Class of 2025 includes pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.

by
Ed Odeven
January 22, 2025

Ichiro Suzuki was a near-unanimous selection for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, it was announced on Tuesday, January 22.

Ichiro is the first Japan-born player to be elected for induction into the venerated institution, which opened its doors in 1939.

The Hall of Fame class of 2025's induction ceremony is scheduled for July 27 in the idyllic village in central New York. Along with Ichiro, 251-game winner CC Sabathia and dominant closer Billy Wagner will also be inducted.

Ichiro, who won nine batting titles and amassed a record 4,367 hits in his combined NPB and MLB career (1992-2019), was listed on 99.746% of the Hall of Fame ballots (393 of 394) cast by Baseball Writers' Association of America members. It's the second-highest percentage ever for a position player.

Veteran broadcaster Bob Costas, one of baseball's most highly respected pundits, commented on the balloting issue during an appearance on MLB Network.

"I can't think of a single reason [that Ichiro wasn't unanimous]," Costas said, The Seattle Times reported.

In 2020, former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was chosen by 99.748% of the BBWAA electorate, also one vote shy of unanimous.

The BBWAA has handled Hall of Fame balloting for 81 years, and only one player has ever been a unanimous selection. All-time great Yankees closer Mariano Rivera had that distinct honor in 2019.

To be eligible for induction, a player must be retired for at least five years. And this was the first time Ichiro, described by the BBWAA as "a veritable hits machine on both sides of the Pacific Ocean," became eligible to appear on the ballot.

Ichiro Suzuki Reflects on His Hall of Fame Journey

Reacting to the news of his election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Ichiro admitted that he exceeded all expectations after leaving the Orix BlueWave following the 2000 NPB season and joining the Seattle Mariners.

"I don't think anybody in this whole world thought that I would be a Hall of Famer," Ichiro told a news conference on Tuesday, according to The Seattle Times. "As a baseball player, this is definitely the top of the top."

Ichiro had a spectacular debut season for the Mariners, winning the American League batting title (.350) as the team's leadoff hitter, stealing 56 bases and providing a tremendous defensive presence in right field. He was the AL MVP and AL Rookie of the Year.

A Model of Consistency

Ichiro was an AL All-Star in 10 consecutive seasons through 2010, and a Gold Glove winner in each of those years while also getting at least 200 hits each year, too. In 2004, he won his second AL batting title (.372) and also rewrote MLB's single-season hit record (262).

The first Japanese position player in the majors, Ichiro paved the way for sluggers Hideki Matsui and Shohei Ohtani and others to follow in his footsteps from Japan to North America.

At the outset of his MLB journey at age 27 after achieving extraordinary success in Japan, Ichiro faced immense pressure to succeed with the Mariners.

"As the first Japanese position player coming over … I felt like there was going to be judgment on Japanese baseball," he was quoted as saying by The Seattle Times. "And so there was definitely that pressure, and I knew that how I performed was going to be really looked at as 'this is Japanese baseball.' "

A Look at Ichiro Suzuki's MLB Numbers

Ichiro compiled 3,089 hits in MLB from 2001-19 and a .311 batting average. He finished with 509 stolen bases in the majors in an era of long-ball mashers and a significant drop in steals.

For Hall of Fame voter Jayson Stark, who now writes for The Athletic, Ichiro's aforementioned 200-hit streak and the annual collection of Gold Glove Award for 10 straight years, really resonated with him.

"You know how many players in history have ever done that?" Stark wrote. "Only one player in history has ever done that. Guess who! For what it's worth, nobody else even had five seasons in a row like that."

Ichiro's 2,244 hits from 2001-10 were more than any other player in MLB history over the first 10 years of their career. He later played for the Yankees (2012-14) and Miami Marlins (2015-17) before returning to the Mariners in 2018.

Self-doubt also followed Ichiro as he began his MLB journey in 2001.

"Back then, so many people questioned whether or not I could even play in MLB," he said, according to Kyodo News, during a televised news conference. "There were those, myself included, who questioned if a Japanese position player could do it. So, what an honor it is for me to be here and to be a Hall of Famer. It's a special day."

What a spectacular month for Ichiro Suzuki. He was also voted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame on January 16.

The Year of Ichiro will also include the Mariners retiring his No 51 jersey on August 9.

Author: Ed Odeven

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