Ichiro Suzuki immortalized in Baseball Hall of Fame

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Ichiro Suzuki, one of baseball’s most iconic hitters, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, becoming the first Japanese player to receive the sport’s highest honor.

Suzuki, a 10-time All-Star who revolutionized the leadoff spot with a unique combination of speed and precision hitting, said Saturday that while he’s honored and humbled, he didn’t change his daily routine for the occasion.

“Being here today is sure like a fantastic dream,” Suzuki said in his induction speech.

“Today is something I thought I would never know again. For the third time, I am a rookie,” he joked.

“Thank you for welcoming me so warmly into your great team,” he said.

Suzuki was joined by CC Sabathia, former Yankees ace and 2007 AL Cy Young winner, and reliever Billy Wagner, who made it in on his final year of eligibility. Dave Parker and Dick Allen were honored posthumously.

Ichiro’s enshrinement caps a career that bridged continents and transformed Major League Baseball’s global identity. The Hall of Fame opened a new exhibit this week titled Yakyu/Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game, which highlights the deep ties between Japanese and American baseball. The exhibit pays tribute to Suzuki along with other influential players like Hideo Nomo and Shohei Ohtani.

Despite his place as a baseball ambassador, Suzuki said Japanese baseball should continue to follow its own path.

“I don’t think Japan should copy what MLB does. I think Japanese baseball should be Japanese baseball and the way they do things, and MLB should be the way they are. I think they should be different and not the same,” he said.

Suzuki received 393 out of 394 votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, narrowly missing a unanimous selection with a 99.7% approval. His Hall of Fame credentials include two American League batting titles, 10 Gold Gloves, and a .311 career batting average. He played for Seattle, the New York Yankees, and Miami.

His 262 hits in 2004 remain an MLB single-season record. When combined with his time in Nippon Professional Baseball, his 4,367 career hits surpass Pete Rose’s MLB record of 4,256.

Though Suzuki visited the Hall several times during his career, this time feels different.

“I had a purpose. I would come to the basement and look at some of the artifacts. This time around, though, I didn’t come to have one purpose to see something. I just wanted to experience Cooperstown, take it all in,” he said. “This is the place where I’d come (during the season) and kind of cleanse myself and get a great feeling again.”

For Sabathia, the moment is deeply personal. The left-hander from Vallejo, California, will enter the Hall wearing a Yankees cap — a decision that reflects his years of success in the Bronx, even if it wasn’t what he originally envisioned.

“My wife was the one that said: ‘You’re trying to do all these different things… How can you not go to New York? That’s the one place they try to win every single year.’ When she put it that way, it was like I was born to be a Yankee,” Sabathia said.

He added that he resisted the move early in his career out of fear, especially after his father — who once told him he’d pitch for the Yankees — died when Sabathia was 23.

Sabathia finished his 19-year career with a 251-161 record, a 3.74 ERA, and 3,093 strikeouts, ranking third among left-handed pitchers behind only Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton. He played for Cleveland, Milwaukee, and New York.

Suzuki and Sabathia were teammates with the Yankees for more than two seasons. Their shared induction adds to the meaning of the weekend.

“It feels like we’re teammates. Obviously, Ichi and I were rookies together. I always say he stole my Rookie of the Year award (in 2001) so it’s great to be able to go in the HOF with him and Billy,” Sabathia said.

Wagner, who was elected in his final year on the ballot, becomes just the ninth pitcher to enter the Hall primarily as a reliever — and the only one who’s a left-hander. He was a seven-time All-Star with 422 saves and a 2.31 ERA over 16 seasons.

“Well, after seeing how a lot of guys like Lee Smith and Ted Simmons and (other) guys had to wait their turn to get to this point and go through the veterans committee, and how hard it is to get in here, you know, it’s well worth the wait,” Wagner said.

Also recognized this weekend were longtime Cleveland broadcaster Tom Hamilton, who received the Ford C. Frick Award, and Washington Post sports columnist Tom Boswell, honored with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award.

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