Ichiro Makes Great History with Hall of Fame Election, But Falls Short of Immortality
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Former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on Tuesday afternoon.
Suzuki earned 99.7 percent of the vote, compiling 393 of a possible 394 votes.
Ichiro will become the third Mariners player in history to enter Cooperstown with an M's logo on his hat, joining Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez. The ceremony will take place July 27 in Cooperstown and Ichiro will join the Hall of Fame alongside Billy Wagner and CC Sabathia.
The election for Ichiro represented baseball history on multiple fronts. First, Ichiro is the first Japanese player to ever reach the National Baseball Hall of Fame. However, by missing out on one vote, Ichiro fell short of becoming the second player to get in unanimously.
Mariano Rivera remains the only player to get in with 100 percent of the vote.
Ichiro missed becoming the 2nd unanimous hall of famer by one vote pic.twitter.com/vhMymDNH4s
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) January 21, 2025
One of the best players to ever play the game, Ichiro was a professional for 28 seasons between his time in Japan and the United States. He played for the Mariners, New York Yankees and Miami Marlins, earning more than 4,300 combined professional hits. He was a 10-time All-Star and a 10-time Gold Glover.
He helped the Mariners to an American-League record 116 wins in 2001 and also helped the M's get to the ALCS in 2001. Sadly, he never got to the playoffs with the Mariners again, but his legacy lives on.
A member of the M's team Hall of Fame, he is one of the greatest players in franchise history and continues to work with the franchise to this day.
We'll have much more Ichiro coverage throughout the year leading up to his induction.
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