Ichiro Suzuki Leads New Baseball Hall of Fame Class; 2 other elected officials in Cooperstown

The National Baseball Hall of Fame will have three more plaques this summer.

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner all received the sport’s highest honor Tuesday and are headed to Cooperstown.

Ichiro is the first Japanese-born player to receive Hall of Fame honors. He obtained 99.7% of the votes, one vote short of becoming the second player unanimously elected. Players must receive at least 75% of the votes to be inducted.

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Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki greets fans after a game against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome. (Darren Yamashita/USA Today Sports)

Ichiro joined the majors in 2001 as a highly touted Japanese prospect, hitting .353 during his nine seasons in his home country, where he won three MVPs and was a seven-time All-Star. Joining the Seattle Mariners at the age of 28, he immediately lived up to the hype, winning the AL MVP and helping that year’s Mariners team to a record of 116 victories.

From 2001 to 2010, Ichiro was named an All-Star in every season while also winning a Gold Glove Award each year. During that span, he won three Silver Slugger Awards and two batting titles while posting a .331 average and an .806 OPS. In 2004, he set the all-time single-season record with 262 hits, and he is the only player in MLB history to record 10 consecutive seasons of over 200 hits. He also stole over 500 bases and is one of seven to record 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases.

After only his 11th MLB game, his career average never dipped below .300 again. He retired with a .311 average, 3,089 hits and a 60.0 WAR. In the live-ball era (since 1920), he is one of 21 players with at least 10 seasons hitting .300 (among qualified hitters), and only one of seven to have done so 10 years consecutive. Ichiro spent the majority of his career with the Mariners, making stops with the Yankees and Marlins.

Former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki throws a ball into the dugout before throwing out the first pitch in a game against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park. (Joe Nicholson/USA Today Sports)

Sabathia, like Ichiro, got the green light in his first year of participation. He is one of 19 pitchers to record 3,000 strikeouts and dominate the 2000s. From 2007 to 2011, he finished in the top five in Cy Young Award voting each year, winning the award in 2007. One of those seasons, however, was the 2008 campaign, where he finished fifth in NL voting despite being traded to Cleveland. in the American League against the National League Brewers in July.

During his short stint with Milwaukee (17 starts), he pitched seven complete games and pitched to a 1.65 ERA, with much of his work coming on three days’ rest as the Brewers made a playoff push playoffs.

The left-hander won a World Series with the Yankees in 2009 in his first season in what was then the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. He struggled from 2013 to 2015, achieving a 4.81 ERA as alcoholism became detrimental to his career and life. After rehabilitation, however, he reinvented himself as a finesse pitcher and recorded three additional seasons with an ERA below 4.00.

He retired after the 2019 season with a career 3.74 ERA, 3,093 strikeouts, 251 wins and six All-Star appearances. On the last pitch of his MLB career, he dislocated his shoulder and he joked that he threw until he couldn’t anymore.

New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia waves to fans during his ceremony before a game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. (Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports)

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Wagner got the nod in his final year of eligibility after falling just five votes short last year. And while he admitted it was a “nightmare” to wait, his numbers deserve the honor.

Since 1920, among relievers with more than 500 innings, his 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings are the fourth highest in MLB history. His 422 saves rank seventh, while his 2.31 ERA is second, behind Mariano Rivera. Wagner was elite from start to finish. His lowest ERA in a season came in his last, when he posted a 1.43 ERA in 2010. He also has the highest strikeout rate and lowest batting average among pitchers with over 900 innings.

Spending time with the Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves, Wagner was a seven-time All-Star and twice received votes for the Cy Young Award. Sabathia received 86.6% of the vote, while Wagner received 82.5%.