Ichiro Suzuki Takes Ruthless Shot at Miami Marlins, Praises New York Yankees in Hall of Fame Speech

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Longtime outfielder Ichiro Suzuki delivered one of the best speeches in recent memory as he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday afternoon.

For approximately 20 minutes, Ichiro wove in humor with life lessons, talking about his motivations, his inspirations, his goals, his dreams, his appreciation for the fans and for the game itself. He also hilariously called out the one voter who didn't vote him into the Hall of Fame, and did an awesome impression of longtime Seattle Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs.

Furthermore, Ichiro showed a deep appreciation of his wife, Yumiko, and for Hideo Nomo, who paved the way for Japanese players to come to the United States in 1995. He also took a ruthless shot at the Miami Marlins, where he played for three seasons, saying he had never heard of the Marlins when they called to sign him. Of course, he ended up saying that he appreciated his time on South Beach, where he picked up his 3,00th career hit.

“Honestly, when you guys (The Marlins) called to offer me a contract for 2015.

I had never heard of your Team."

Ichiro 🐐pic.twitter.com/5c20RYAF9E
— Barstool Baseball (@StoolBaseball) July 27, 2025

He also spoke glowingly of his time with the New York Yankees, where he spent parts of three seasons as well, and he said he appreciated the chance to be in the same clubhouse as Derek Jeter, as well as the 'proud culture.'

A legendary career forever immortalized.

Congratulations on your induction, Ichiro 💙 pic.twitter.com/uwKAqBsVYq
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 27, 2025

Ichiro spent 19 seasons as a professional in the major leagues. He enters the Hall of Fame as a member of the Seattle Mariners, joining Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez as Mariners players in the Hall of Fame.

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