Ichiro is the first Japanese-born player to earn Hall of Fame honors. He received 99. 7% of the votes, one vote less than the second unanimously elected player. The players want at least 75% of the votes to be admitted.
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Ichiro Suzuki, the fiancé of the Seattle Mariners, greets fans after a game against the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome. (Darren Yamashita/USA Today Sports)
Ichiro joined the majors in 2001 as a highly touted Japanese prospect, reaching Array353 his nine seasons in his home country, where he won 3 MVPs and was a seven-time All-Star. He joined the Seattle Mariners at the age of 28 and without delay lived up to the hype, winning the American League Most Valuable Player and helping that year’s Mariners team to a record 116 wins. .
From 2001 to 2010, Ichiro was named an All-Star in each season while also winning a Gold Glove Award every year. In that span, he earned three Silver Slugger Awards and won two batting titles while putting up a .331 average and .806 OPS. In 2004, he set the all-time single-season record with 262 hits, and he’s the only player in MLB history to register 10 straight 200-plus hit seasons. He also stole over 500 bases and is one of just seven to record 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases.
After his 11th MLB game, his career average never fell below Array300 again. He retired with an Array311 average, 3,089 hits and a 60. 0 WAR. In the live-ball era (since 1920), he is one of 21 players with at least 10 seasons hitting Array300 (among qualified hitters), and one of seven to have done so 10 consecutive years. Ichiro spent most of his career with the Mariners, making stops with the Yankees and Marlins.
Former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki tosses a ball to the dugout before throwing out the first pitch for a game against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park. (Joe Nicholson/USA Today Sports)
Sabathia, like Ichiro, got the nod in his first year on the ballot. He is one of just 19 pitchers to record 3,000 strikeouts and dominated the 2000s. From 2007 to 2011, he finished in the top five of Cy Young Award voting each year, winning the award in 2007. One of those seasons, though, was the 2008 campaign when he finished in fifth in the NL vote despite being trading from Cleveland in the American League to the National League’s Brewers in July.
During his short stint with Milwaukee (17 starts), he threw seven complete games and pitched to a 1.65 ERA, with plenty of his work coming on three days rest as the Brewers made a postseason push.
The left-hander won a World Series with the Yankees in 2009 in his first season in what was then the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. He struggled from 2013 to 2015, posting a 4. 81 ERA as alcoholism became negative for his career and life. However, after rehab, he reinvented himself as a smooth pitcher and recorded 3 more seasons with a sub-4. 00 ERA.
He retired after the 2019 season with a 3.74 career ERA, 3,093 strikeouts, 251 wins and six All-Star appearances. On the final pitch of his MLB career, he dislocated his shoulder, and he joked that he pitched until he no longer could.
New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia greets enthusiasts during his rite before a game between the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. (Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports)
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Wagner was given the green light in his final year of eligibility after losing just five votes last year. And although he admitted it was a “nightmare” to wait, his numbers deserve the honor.
Since 1920, among relievers with 500-plus innings, his 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings are the fourth most in MLB history. His 422 saves rank seventh, while his 2.31 ERA is second, behind only Mariano Rivera. Wagner was elite from start to finish. His lowest ERA in a season came in his final one, when he posted a 1.43 ERA in 2010. He also has the highest strikeout rate and lowest batting average against among pitchers with 900-plus innings.
Spending time with the Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves, Wagner was a seven-time All-Star and twice earned Cy Young Award votes. Sabathia got 86. 6% of the vote, while Wagner got 82. 5%.
Billy Wagner of the Houston Astros pitches against the San Diego Padres April 23, 2000, in San Diego. (Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)
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Dave Parker and Dick Allen were voted in last month through the Classic Era Committee, and all players will be crowned this summer.
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