(New York) Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese player to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Posted at 7:22 p.m.
Ronald Blum
Associated Press
He came within one vote of unanimity, as he was elected along with CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.
Suzuki received 393 of 394 votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Sabathia was on 342 ballots and Wagner was on 325, 29 more than the 296 needed for the required 75 percent.
The trio will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on July 27 along with Dave Parker and Dick Allen, elected last month by the Classic Era Committee.
Mariano Rivera is the only one to receive 100% of the BBWAA vote, appearing on all 425 ballots in 2019.
Derek Jeter was selected 395 of 396 in 2020.
Suzuki arrived in MLB from Japan at age 27 in 2001.
He and Fred Lynn, in 1975, were the only ones to deserve the title of American rookie of the year and most valuable player of this circuit during the same season.
A two-time American batting champion, he received 10 Gold Gloves and was part of 10 all-star teams.
-He hit .311 with 117 home runs, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle (2001-12, 2018-19), the New York Yankees (2012-14) and Miami (2015-17).
He is perhaps the greatest contact hitter of all time, with 1278 hits in Japan and 3089 in MLB.
This includes the single-season record of 262, in 2004.
His combined total of 4,367 surpasses Pete Rose’s major league record (4,256).
Sabathia has been a member of six all-star teams. He won the American Cy Young in 2007 and the World Series in 2009.
He amassed a 251-161 record with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts – third most for a left-hander, behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton.
He played for 19 seasons with Cleveland (2001-2008), Milwaukee (2008) and the New York Yankees (2009-2019).
Wagner is the ninth Temple pitcher to have primarily been a reliever after Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith and Rivera.
A seven-time All-Star, Wagner went 47-40 with a 2.31 ERA and 422 saves.
We saw it with Houston (1995-2003), Philadelphia (2004-2005), the New York Mets (2006-2009), Boston (2009) and Atlanta (2010).
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