Mariners icon Ichiro Suzuki elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame

Ichiro, the Mariners icon and all-time hit leader of professional baseball, will be enshrined in immortality.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) elected the legendary leadoff hitter to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, announced Tuesday afternoon, a resounding confirmation by 99.7 percent of voters that marks the pinnacle of Ichiro’s storied and illustrious career.

In Nov. 2000, Seattle announced their signing of Ichiro, a 27-year-old star from the Orix Blue Wave and first Japanese-born position player to join MLB. And he would blossom into much more than the speedy hit machine scouts expected, instead becoming one of the premier hitters of a generation.

“In 2001, there was probably not one person on this Earth that thought this day would come,” Ichiro said at Tuesday’s press conference at T-Mobile Park through translator Allen Turner. “Through (everything) that’s happened… I’m just very honored. A very special day.”

A career .311 major league hitter for three clubs (Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Miami Marlins) across 19 seasons, Ichiro debuted in the Pacific Northwest in 2001 and instantly took Major League Baseball by storm. An integral part of Seattle’s record-breaking 116-win team that year, the 27-year-old rookie piled a league-best 242 hits with a .350 batting average, the American League’s MVP and Rookie of the Year all in one.

The high-flying center fielder won 10 consecutive AL Gold Glove Awards (2001-10), all with the Mariners, along with three AL Silver Slugger Awards in Seattle. (2001, 2007, 2009). He captured two American League batting titles in 2001 and 2004.

And throughout the darkest years of Seattle’s 21-year postseason drought, Ichiro remained an anomalistic superstar with style, personality, and humility — one of few bright spots for a fanbase starved for contention from 2002 on. In 2004, he became baseball’s all-time single-season hit leader (262), breaking George Sisler’s 84-year record of 257 hits many thought was unbreakable. In 2007, he made All-Star Game history with the Midsummer Classic’s first inside-the-park home run at San Francisco’s AT&T Park when a fifth-inning blast unpredictably caromed off the right field’s brick wall and away from Cincinnati’s Ken Griffey Jr.

“When I became a professional baseball player (at 18), I didn’t have a goal or dream to come to the United States and play in the major leagues,” Ichiro said. “Only after playing in Japan and getting to a certain point did that hope really come alive. The same thing in 2001 when I first got here. I didn’t know (I’d) play in the big leagues (long).

“There are so many guys that have way more talent than I do. There are many, many great players out there. But I really would love for them to understand themselves and get to know themselves. And that will gradually help them to be where they need to be.”

Even the earliest highlights bring vintage Mariners nostalgia, like in 2001, when a right-fielding Ichiro nabbed Oakland’s Terrence Long on a laser-beam throw to third base at the Oakland Coliseum just nine days after his MLB debut. Mariners Hall of Fame broadcaster Dave Niehaus couldn’t contain his excitement: “I’m here to tell you that Ichiro threw something out of Star Wars!”

And he retired in 2019 with a picture-perfect curtain call — a two-game appearance for the Mariners in his home country at MLB’s Japan Opening Series at the Tokyo Dome. The now-Hall of Famer finished his major league career with 3,089 hits. Include his 1,278 base hits playing professionally in Japan, and Ichiro is considered the all-time hit leader of professional baseball with 4,367 between both leagues (Pete Rose leads the all-time MLB hit leaderboard, with 4,256).

“There are records and numbers that I have that are obviously special,” Ichiro said. “One that comes to mind… In May 2018, I was no longer an active Major League Baseball player. All I could do was come to the field and practice. … I did that. I came to the ballpark every day. And because I was able to prepare myself to play, I was given the opportunity to (play in 2019).

“I hadn’t told anybody that I was going to be retiring (in Japan). So when the game finished and (interviews) were finished, the fans were still there. I went out and (greeted) fans. That’s something I will cherish and something I can look back on.”

BBWAA voters were bound to elect the legend with a required 75 percent of the vote to the 2025 class; the larger, looming question was whether Ichiro would enter the Hall unanimously before falling one vote short with 99.7 percent of the electorate (393 out of 394 voters). He joins longtime New York Yankees captain and shortstop Derek Jeter as the only players to miss unanimous Hall of Fame induction by one vote. Yankees closer and MLB’s all-time save leader Mariano Rivera (652) remains the only unanimous induction in the sport’s history, in 2019.

“Ichiro, congratulations on being named to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is an unbelievable honor,” Griffey Jr. wrote in a team release, a 2016 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. “Edgar (Martinez) and I couldn’t be more proud of you. We met in ’95 and we’ve been good friends ever since then. Just want to let you know that it is a privilege and an honor to share the Hall with you.”

The 10-time All-Star collected 200+ hits in 10 straight seasons from 2001-10 and led the major leagues in the category seven times. He is the Mariners all-time franchise leader in hits (2,542), batting average (.322), at-bats (7,907), triples (79), and stolen bases (438).

Now serving as Special Assistant to the Chairman, Ichiro adds to a Mariners legacy still being written. Before games, he’s visible playing catch in the outfield and mentoring the likes of All-Star outfielder Julio Rodriguez. Seattle wouldn’t want it any other way.

Now, he’s the first Japanese-born player in history to be inducted into Cooperstown. Yankees ace CC Sabathia and Astros lefty Billy Wagner joined Ichiro in the 2025 class and will unite for a formal ceremony at the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27.

The Mariners will retire Ichiro’s No. 51 at an August ceremony in Seattle, Mariners president of business operations Kevin Martinez said Tuesday.

“When I sign my name, I can use the number 51,” Ichiro smiled. “That means a lot to me. Also, I’m 51 (years old) right now. That means a lot, too.”

“Without imposing limits on yourself, you must find the desire and passion to overcome those daily challenges,” Ichiro said to a sold-out crowd at his Mariners Hall of Fame induction inside T-Mobile Park in Aug. 2022, delivering a 16-minute speech entirely in English. “That is how you maximize your potential. Then, you can achieve the unimaginable.

“To the outstanding fans of Seattle – you cheered loudly for me as a new player in my first game, 21 years ago. And you never stopped.”