By Beloved in Japan and in the US, Ichiro Suzuki now has a permanent home in Cooperstown, New York.
Suzuki, 51, cements himself in baseball lore, becoming the first Japanese player to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Suzuki, in his first year of eligibility, received 99.7% of the vote, one vote shy of it being unanimous. New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is still the only player to be elected with 100% of the vote.
In this year’s class, Suzuki joins starting pitcher CC Sabathia and closer Billy Wagner. They were elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and will join the Classic Baseball Era Committee electees, the late Dick Allen and Dave Parker, for enshrinement. The induction ceremony is July 27.
Before there was Shohei Ohtani, it was all about Suzuki, who captivated Japan and the US when he made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2001 as an outfielder. While pitchers, including Hideo Nomo, had already played in the US, Suzuki made seismic waves as the first Japanese position player to sign with a major league club.
He immediately was a star, and he was immediately a success.
Winner of the American League Most Valuable Player Award and AL Rookie of the Year Award, Suzuki led the AL with a .350 batting average and was tops in all of baseball with 242 hits and 56 stolen bases.
In 2004, Suzuki set a single-season record with 262 hits and won his second batting title, with a .372 average.
Suzuki also shone on defense, winning the first of 10 consecutive Gold Glove awards his rookie year. Suzuki also was a 10-time All-Star in that same span from 2001-2010.
Suzuki, the first player with 10 consecutive seasons of 200-plus hits, became the 30th player to join the elite 3,000-hit club in 2016. He finished with 3,089 MLB hits and retired in 2019 after 19 seasons.
Suzuki’s combined MLB and Japan statistics give him the most hits in baseball history with 4,367, surpassing the late Pete Rose (4,256 MLB hits). To go with his career batting average of .311, Suzuki also stole 509 bases.
In addition to the Mariners, he played for the Yankees and Miami Marlins.
Sabathia, also a first-time honoree, received 86.8% of the vote. He spent 19 seasons in the majors spanning Cleveland, Milwaukee and with the Yankees.
Sabathia, 44, posted a 251-161 record with a 3.74 earned run average and 3,093 strikeouts. He won the AL Cy Young Award in 2007 while with Cleveland. He anchored the Yankees’ staff en route to a World Series title in 2009.
The 53-year-old Wagner, meanwhile, was in his 10th and final year of eligibility, and received 82.5% of the vote.
Spanning his 16 seasons with the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves, Wagner recorded 422 saves. His career ERA was 2.31.
Players are elected to the Hall of Fame provided they are named on at least 75% of ballots cast by eligible voting members of the BBWAA. With 394 ballots submitted in the 2025 election, candidates needed to receive 296 votes to be elected.
