Yahoo Sports Baseball world reacts to Ichiro Suzuki's near-unanimous Hall of Fame selection
The 2025 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame class has been announced, with three players earning induction into Cooperstown: CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, and Ichiro Suzuki.
Wagner earned the honor in his tenth and final year on the ballot, while both Sabathia and Suzuki earned enshrinement in their first years. This marks the third time in the last four years that at least one player has earned Hall of Fame recognition in their first year on the ballot.
2025 is particularly special though, because Ichiro Suzuki received an astounding 99.7% of the possible votes, making him the first-ever Japanese-born player to earn the honor, all while leaving him just one vote shy of being the second-ever unanimous Hall of Fame selection (Mariano Rivera, 2019). Only Derek Jeter (2020) has earned as many votes, as a position player, in their first year of eligibility.
Suzuki amassed 3,089 hits across his 19-year MLB career. He won an MVP, Rookie of the Year, ten Gold Gloves, and three Silver Sluggers in that span as well, while slashing an impressive .311/.355/.402. He also swiped 509 bases and holds the all-time record for hits in a single season (262 in 2004).
Between his time in MLB and in Japan, Suzuki smacked over 4,000 hits for his professional baseball career, leading many to believe he could've hit that mark if he played his entire career in America. He was a remarkable ball player, incredible personality, and electric defender in the outfield. All that begs the question, "Why wasn't he a unanimous selection?"
Here are the best reactions from around the internet.
MLB News: Who is on the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot?
Ichiro Suzuki one vote shy of unanimous Hall of Fame selection: Best reactions
Ichiro Suzuki has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A paragon of style who made the single cool and was as much of a student of his craft as any player in his generation, Ichiro will be the first Japanese-born player inducted into the Hall.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 21, 2025
99.7%
One writer did not vote for Ichiro Suzuki
Honestly, turn in your voters card
Turn it in@Mariners pic.twitter.com/58UblpL0me— Russell Hartness (@RussellHartness) January 21, 2025
One Hall of Fame voter left Ichiro Suzuki off of their ballot and quite frankly they should lose their future right to vote. pic.twitter.com/oiIGNuPege
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) January 21, 2025
If Ichiro Suzuki isn’t a unanimous HOF selection today, there is something absolutely wrong with the process we have
— Calico Joe (@CalicoJoeMLB) January 21, 2025
Ichiro missed being a unanimous Hall of Famer by 1 vote.
Out yourself. Who didn’t vote for Ichiro. And why?— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) January 21, 2025
Ichiro missed out on being unanimous first ballot by ONE VOTE. ONE PERSON. pic.twitter.com/mZe5nx8o7w
— theScore (@theScore) January 21, 2025
Mo was great, but that someone who wasn't one of the top 100 best overall players of all time is the only unanimous vote tells you how meaningless unanimous is
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) January 21, 2025
Ego at its finest. Ichiro misses becoming the first position player to be a unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame by ONE vote. Give me a freakin break.
He deserved 100%— Jen Mueller (@JenTalksSports) January 21, 2025
How in the world was Ichiro Suzuki not unanimous?????
Who saw Ichiro and went “that isn’t one of the greatest players our game has ever seen”— DaddyDimmuTV (@DaddyDimmuTv) January 21, 2025
Ichiro could hit that one writer in the head if he were staying on home plate with a throw from the outfield bleachers he was that good. Shameful he wasn't a unanimous first-ballot selection pic.twitter.com/cIyY2OZybI
— Lars Hanson (@LarsHanson) January 21, 2025
Given that Ichiro was clearly not elected to the Hall of Fame unanimously, that means Albert Pujols has a real shot at being the first ever unanimous position player.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) January 21, 2025
Which players will be on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2026?
Below lists many of the players who will be first-year eligible for Hall of Fame induction in 2026. The team listed alongside them is the team they are most-known for playing with.
SP Cole Hamels, PHI
OF Ryan Braun, MIL
DH/1B Edwin Encarnacion, TOR
UTIL Howie Kendrick, LAA
OF Shin-Soo Choo, CLE/TEX
OF Alex Gordon, KC
OF Nick Markakis, BAL
OF Hunter Pence, SF
SP Gio Gonzalez, WSH
OF Matt Kemp, LAD
2B Jason Kipnis, CLE
2B/1B Daniel Murphy, NYM
SP Rick Porcello, BOS
C Matt Wieters, BAL
SP Jeff Samardzija, CHC
1B Chris Davis, BAL
MLB Reports: Free agent Anthony Santander finds new nest in Toronto
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ichiro Suzuki misses unanimous Hall of Fame vote by one: Reactions
