Ichiro Suzuki, Sabathia, Wagner Elected to Hall; Ichiro First Japanese Inductee

Jan 21, 2025, 11:29 PM

Ichiro Suzuki has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the first Japanese-born and first Asian player to receive this honor. Suzuki amassed 4,367 hits in his combined professional career in Japan and the United States—including 3,089 MLB hits—and received 99.7% of the vote, falling just one vote shy of unanimous election. In 2001, his debut MLB season, Ichiro won both the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year awards, as well as the batting title and stolen base leader. In 2004, he set an MLB single-season record with 262 hits. Alongside Suzuki, pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner were also elected to the Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place in Cooperstown, New York, this July.