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Home News Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in a historic vote. Suzuki, a former Seattle Mariners outfielder, became the first Japanese player to be selected. He fell just one vote short of unanimous election, receiving 393 out of 394 votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).

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Suzuki, who made history as the first Japanese position player in Major League Baseball, shared his excitement. “I started getting kind of nervous,” he said. “I was relieved when I first got the call.”

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The 27-year-old Suzuki had left Japan’s Orix BlueWave in 2000 to join the Mariners, marking the beginning of a remarkable MLB career. “I don’t think anybody in this whole world thought that I would be a Hall of Famer,” he said. “As a baseball player, this is definitely the top of the top.”

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Suzuki’s career spanned from 2001 to 2019, with stints in Seattle, New York, and Miami. A two-time AL batting champion, 10-time All-Star, and 10-time Gold Glove winner, Suzuki hit .311 with 117 home runs, 780 RBIs, and 509 stolen bases. His total of 4,367 hits—across both Japan and the United States—surpasses Pete Rose’s MLB record of 4,256.

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Sabathia, elected in his first year on the ballot, received 342 votes, or 86.8 percent. He was a six-time All-Star and won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award. He also helped the Yankees win the World Series in 2009. The left-hander, who spent most of his career in New York, finished with 251 wins, 3,093 strikeouts, and a 3.74 ERA.

Sabathia spoke about his connection to the Yankees: “The Yankees is the place that wanted me. I found a home in the Bronx.”

Wagner, a former closer, made it on his 10th and final attempt. He received 325 votes (82.5 percent), surpassing the 75 percent needed for induction. A seven-time All-Star, Wagner retired with 422 saves and a 2.31 ERA. Known for his high strikeout rate, he was the fastest pitcher to reach 400 saves in MLB history.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place in Cooperstown on July 27. Suzuki, Sabathia, and Wagner will be joined by Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were voted in last month by the classic era committee.

Mariano Rivera remains the only player to be elected unanimously, receiving all 425 votes in 2019. Derek Jeter also came close, earning 395 votes in 2020.

In honor of Suzuki’s achievement, Seattle’s Space Needle was lit up in blue. The Mariners also announced plans to retire his number 51 on August 9.

Other notable names on the ballot included Carlos Beltrán, who received 70.3 percent of the vote, and Andruw Jones, who earned 66.2 percent. Players like Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramírez, both linked to performance-enhancing drugs, received 37.1 percent and 34.3 percent, respectively.

Several players, including Carlos González, Curtis Granderson, and Troy Tulowitzki, will no longer appear on future ballots after receiving less than 5 percent of the vote. Next year, newcomers such as Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun, and Matt Kemp will join the ballot.

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