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Baseball Hall of Fame: Ichiro Suzuki falls one vote short of unanimous election, joining CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner in the 2025 class

The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 has been announced. Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, pitcher CC Sabathia and reliever Billy Wagner were all elected, each receiving at least 75% of the vote from eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Ichiro was elected almost unanimously, but missed that mark by just a single vote. Suzuki and Sabathia were both on the ballot for the first time. Wagner was in his 10th and final year. Sabathia received 86.8% of the vote and Wagner received 82.5%. Carlos Beltrán was the first man eliminated in this year’s vote, with 70.3%.

While each player’s choice is special and monumental, Suzuki’s stands out. He is Japan’s first Baseball Hall of Famer and was almost the second player in history to be elected unanimously.

Ichiro, 51, had a long, unparalleled career that spanned three decades in two countries. His professional career began as an 18-year-old in Japan after being drafted by the Orix BlueWave. He played for Orix for nine years, many of them as a standout player, before moving to the MLB and signing with the Seattle Mariners.

When Ichiro arrived in the United States, there was no stopping him. In 2001, as a 27-year-old, he was named AL Rookie of the Year, won the AL MVP, appeared in his first of 10 consecutive All-Star Games, won his first of 10 Gold Gloves and the first of three Silver Sluggers. He is the only MLB hitter in the last 126 years to hit more than 200 singles in a year, doing so twice in a row. He retired after 19 seasons in the MLB with a lifetime triple slash of .311/.355/.402, 509 stolen bases and 3,089 hits collected while playing for the Mariners, the Yankees and the Marlins .

Aside from his longevity, preternatural talent, and tireless dedication to his craft, story after story details Ichiro’s incredible sense of humor, his love of wings (he ate them in the same chair and on the same plate before every single home game), and his impeccable Quality fashion sense. Few athletes are as loved in one country as he is, but he is popular in two countries.

Sabathia, 44, spent 19 years as a starting pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees. Cleveland selected him in the first round of the 1998 MLB Draft, and he made an immediate impact after his debut in 2001, finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting (behind Ichiro). He spent eight years in Cleveland, winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2007, before the team traded him to the playoff-hungry Brewers in 2008, where he played just half a season. His regular season performance was spectacular, but in his only postseason start he was under fire by the Phillies (who would win the World Series that year).

He signed with the Yankees in 2009 and made it to the mountaintop with them, making three great playoff starts as New York defeated Philly and won the 2009 World Series. It was the start of a ten-year run with the Yankees that had its share of ups and downs (2009-2012 was by far his best four-season run in the majors, while 2013-2015 were three of his worst years). his career), but from the moment he arrived it was clear that New York was where he belonged.

In October 2015, Sabathia entered rehab for alcoholism, an illness his father also battled. His return to baseball at the start of the 2016 season marked the start of a late-career resurgence that gave him his best numbers since the late 2000s. He retired with a lifetime ERA of 3.74 and 3,093 strikeouts over 3,577 1/3 innings. Over the course of his long career, Sabathia threw at least 200 innings per season eight times and more than 175 innings 14 times.

FILE - CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees waves to fans as he is honored before a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 22, 2019 in New York. (AP Photo/Michael Owens, File)FILE - CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees waves to fans as he is honored before a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 22, 2019 in New York. (AP Photo/Michael Owens, File)

CC Sebathia spent a decade with the Yankees, helping them win the World Series in 2009. (AP/Michael Owens, File)

Wagner, 53, is admitted on his tenth and final attempt. Relievers (aside from Rivera) typically have a hard time getting elected, but Wagner’s stats, as well as the influx of younger voters, have helped him steadily gain support over the last decade. Wagner, a Division III collegiate athlete who was drafted in the first round out of Ferrum College, was a reliever and lights-out closer in the MLB for 16 years, spending most of his time with the Houston Astros (nine seasons). and spent shorter stints with the Houston Astros, Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves.

With 422 career saves, Wagner ranks eighth on the all-time career saves list and the second most for a left-handed hitter. His 2.31 ERA over 903 innings is the second-lowest ERA since 1900 for a pitcher with at least 900 innings. Incredibly, he had been a starting pitcher his entire career until the Astros called him up for the first time in 1995. His transition to reliever was smooth and he ended up saving a club record 225 games for Houston.

Wagner was just five votes short of induction in 2024, which he learned during a break from practice with the Charlottesville, Va., baseball team he coaches. He told The Athletic that he had to fight the emotions of his close call in front of 30 children and an NBC Nightly News camera crew (who showed up uninvited). He called the situation “embarrassing.”

This time there are no such emotions. Wagner is on his way to Cooperstown.

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