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Ichiro Suzuki made history by becoming the first Japanese player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, falling just one vote short of a unanimous selection. Suzuki was part of an esteemed class that includes CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, all of whom were elected on Tuesday.
Suzuki garnered an impressive 393 out of 394 votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). Sabathia received 342 votes, while Wagner secured 325, surpassing the 296 votes required for induction at the 75 percent threshold.
Both Suzuki and Sabathia were elected during their inaugural appearances on the Hall of Fame ballot, while Wagner achieved this honor on his 10th and final attempt. The trio is set to be inducted in Cooperstown on July 27, joining Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were voted in last month by the classic era committee.
It is noteworthy that Mariano Rivera remains the only player to achieve a perfect 100 percent of the vote, with his unanimous election in 2019. Derek Jeter closely followed with 395 out of 396 votes in 2020.
In the latest voting results, Carlos Beltran fell short of induction by 19 votes, finishing with 70.3 percent support, a notable increase from previous years. Andruw Jones also saw a rise in support, finishing at 66.2 percent, up from 61.6 percent last year.
Suzuki’s Remarkable Career
Arriving in Major League Baseball at the age of 27 in 2001, Suzuki quickly made his mark. He became only the second player in history, alongside Fred Lynn, to win both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same season. Throughout his career, Suzuki attained two AL batting championships and was selected as an All-Star 10 times, in addition to earning Gold Glove honors as an outfielder.
Over his MLB tenure with the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Miami Marlins, he compiled a batting average of .311, resulting in 117 home runs, 780 RBIs, and 509 stolen bases. Suzuki’s contact-hitting prowess is undeniable, as he recorded 1,278 hits in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball in addition to his 3,089 hits in the MLB, setting a single-season record with 262 hits in 2004. His total of 4,367 hits eclipses Pete Rose’s MLB record of 4,256.
CC Sabathia was recognized as a six-time All-Star and a Cy Young Award winner in 2007, alongside a World Series victory in 2009. Over the course of 19 seasons with Cleveland, Milwaukee, and the New York Yankees, he achieved a career record of 251-161, maintaining a 3.74 ERA and accruing 3,093 strikeouts, ranking him third among left-handed pitchers.
Billy Wagner, achieving induction after several years of waiting, garnered significant support this year after receiving 284 votes in the 2024 ballot. He became the ninth pitcher primarily recognized as a reliever in the Hall of Fame, and the first left-hander among them. With 422 saves and a stellar 2.31 ERA throughout his career, his remarkable strikeout rate of 11.9 per nine innings is the highest among pitchers with at least 900 innings pitched, despite his 903 career innings being the fewest among Hall of Famers.
Chase Utley, in his first year on the ballot, came in sixth with 157 votes, reflecting a substantial increase in support. Meanwhile, players such as Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez continue to face scrutiny due to previous suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs, receiving 37.1 percent and 34.3 percent of the vote, respectively.
Former player Andy Pettitte saw a significant rise in votes this year, receiving 110 for a total of 27.9 percent, while Felix Hernandez garnered 20.6 percent in his first appearance on the ballot.
Of the 351 individuals elected to the Hall of Fame, 278 are former players. Among these, 142 were selected from the BBWAA ballot, with 62 chosen in their first year of eligibility.
As the voting cycle continues, several players, including Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki, will be removed from future ballots after failing to reach the 5 percent vote threshold. Looking ahead, notable names like Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun, and Matt Kemp are set to appear on next year’s ballot.
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