When Ichiro Suzuki waved to the crowd and jogged in from right field at Tokyo Dome in his final moments as a major league player, there was no doubt his next stop was the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
When his name appeared on the ballot for the first time, the only question was whether or not the iconic, trailblazing Japanese outfielder would be a unanimous selection.
Ichiro, who rose to global superstardom with the Seattle Mariners, was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot, but fell one vote short of becoming the second player voted in unanimously. Former New York Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera became the first player voted in unanimously in 2019.
тАЬThis challenge started in 2001 and now it’s 2025, I can’t imagine it would get to this point where I would be today,тАЭ Ichiro said on MLB Network. тАЬThere was a time I didnтАЩt even know if I would get a chance to play in MLB. So what an honor it is to be for me to be here and be a Hall of Famer.”
The development is historic for Japan, as Ichiro becomes the first Japanese player voted into the Hall of Fame
Ichiro, one of the 33 members of MLBтАЩs 3,000-hit club, is joined in the Class of 2025 by former pitchers CC Sabathia, who retired with 251 wins, and Billy Wagner, the all-time saves leader for the Houston Astros, who was in his 10th and final year on the ballot.
Former sluggers Dick Allen and Dave Parker were elected via the Classic Baseball Era Committee in December.
This yearтАЩs Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Cooperstown on July 27.
