It was no surprise to learn on Tuesday that Ichiro Suzuki was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. It was a surprise that he was one vote short of being unanimously selected as part of a 2025 class that also includes CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dick Allen and Dave Parker.
Although Mariano Rivera remains the only Hall of Famer to be unanimously elected by the Baseball Writers Association of AmericaIchiro joins Derek Jeter (2020) as inductees who were one vote shy of joining the long-time New York Yankees in this elite class.
Ichiro received 393 votes out of a possible 394, which he made sure to highlight in his opening statement at the Hall of Fame press conference Thursday in Cooperstown.
“I’ve been in the Hall of Fame as a player seven times and this is my eighth time here in the Hall of Fame, and what an honor it is for me to be here as a Hall of Famer ” Ichiro said through an interpreter. “This is a very special moment. I was able to receive many votes from the writers and (I am) grateful to them, but there is one writer that I was not able to get a vote for. I would like to invite at my house, we’ll have a drink together and have a good chat.”
BBWAA editors can select up to 10 players on their ballots each year, but their choices are not automatically made public. Writers have the option to allow their selections to be revealed, which will happen February 4 for this year’s vote. Some take it upon themselves to disclose their picks on social media or in articles with an explanation — all of which are then tallied by the Hall of Fame’s vote tracking system. Ryan Thibodaux.
Other writers, like the one who didn’t vote for Jeter, remain silent, leaving their identities a mystery.
But Ichiro may just be added to the list of greats who came close to being unanimous selections – a list that includes Ken Griffey Jr. (3 shy votes), Ty Cobb (4), Tom Seaver (5), Nolan Ryan (6) , Cal Ripken Jr. (8), George Brett and Hank Aaron (9), among others.
Hall of Fame enshrinement wasn’t the only honor bestowed upon Ichiro this week as the Seattle Mariners announced his number would be retire on August 9 as part of a weekend-long celebration honoring the Japanese superstar.
Ichiro’s No. 51 will join Ken Griffey Jr.’s No. 24, Edgar Martinez’s No. 11 and Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 as retired Mariners numbers.
