It was almost guaranteed that Ichiro Suzuki would be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday night. The only question was whether his election would be unanimous.
He received one fewer vote, receiving 99.7% of the vote after 394 baseball writers sent in ballots.
That’s the same total Derek Jeter received when he was one vote away from the unanimous selection in 2020.
Mariano Rivera remains the only player in MLB history elected unanimously, receiving 100% of the vote in 2019.
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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)
The vote was always suspect, but the reactions were not pleasant.
“Please move on, you jerk,” New York Post writer and Hall of Fame voter Jon Heyman wrote on X.
Added The Athletic writer Chris Kirschner: “So stupid.”
San Francisco Chronicle writer Susan Slusser called the near miss “heartbreaking.”
Seattle Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr. received three fewer votes in 2016.
The good news for Ichiro, however, is that he will be forever enshrined in Cooperstown this summer and is the first Japanese-born player to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
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 Mariners at age 28, he immediately lived up to the hype, winning the AL MVP and helping that year’s Mariners team to a record 116 wins.
Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki greets fans after a game against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome. (Darren Yamashita/USA Today Sports)
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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 players 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 to have at least 10 seasons hitting .300 (among qualified hitters) and only one of seven to have done so 10 consecutive years. Ichiro spent the majority of his career with the Mariners, making stops with the Yankees and Marlins.
Former Seattle Mariners player Ichiro Suzuki speaks during his Mariners Hall of Fame induction ceremony before a game between the Seattle Mariners and the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park. (Steven Bisig/USA Today Sports)
Pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner join Ichiro in this year’s class.
