Three more plaques will be installed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer.
Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner were awarded the sport's highest honor on Tuesday and are headed to Cooperstown.
Ichiro is the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He received 99.7% of the votes and was one vote short of becoming the second player to receive a unanimous vote. A player must receive at least 75% of the votes to be selected.
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Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro (51) waves to fans after the game against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome. (Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports)
Ichiro entered the majors in 2001 as a highly anticipated Japanese player, and in the nine seasons he played in his home country, he batted .353, won the MVP award three times, and was selected as an All-Star seven times. After joining the Seattle Mariners at the age of 28, he quickly lived up to expectations, winning American League MVP honors and helping the Mariners win 116 games that year.
From 2001 to 2010, Ichiro was named an All-Star every season and won a Gold Glove Award each time. During that time, he won the Silver Slugger Award three times, won the batting title twice, and posted a .331 batting average and .806 OPS. In 2004, he set an all-time single-season record with 262 hits, becoming the only player in MLB history to record 10 consecutive seasons with 200 or more hits. He is one of only seven players to have over 500 stolen bases, with 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases.
After just 11 games in MLB, his career average never fell below .300 again. He retired with a .311 batting average, 3,089 hits, and 60.0 WAR. In the live ball era (post-1920), he was one of only 21 players (among eligible batters) to hit .300 in at least 10 seasons, and he hit .300 in 10 consecutive years. Only one out of seven people is. Ichiro spent most of his career with the Mariners and also made pit stops with the Yankees and Marlins.
Former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki throws the ball into the dugout before throwing out the first pitch for a game against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park. (Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)
Like Ichiro, Sabathia was elected in his first year on the ballot. He dominated the 2000s, being one of only 19 pitchers to record 3,000 strikeouts. From 2007 to 2011, he finished in the top five in Cy Young Award voting every year, winning the award in 2007. However, in one of those seasons, 2008, he finished fifth in the National League voting despite being traded that year. In July, Cleveland of the American League will face the Brewers of the National League. But in his brief tenure in Milwaukee (17 starts), he pitched seven complete games, pitched to a 1.65 ERA, and did a lot of work on three days' rest as the Brewers advanced toward the postseason.
The left-hander won the World Series with the Yankees in 2009, the first season of what was then the largest contract ever for a pitcher. His alcoholism negatively affected his career and life, resulting in a 4.81 ERA from 2013 to 2015. However, after rehabilitation, he reinvented himself as a finesse pitcher, posting a sub-4.00 ERA in three more seasons. In total, he retired after the 2019 season with a career ERA of 3.74, 3,093 strikeouts, 251 wins, and six All-Star selections. He dislocated his shoulder in the final pitch of his MLB career and quipped that he threw until he could no longer pitch.
New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (52) waves to fans during a ceremony before the New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays game at Yankee Stadium. (Vincent Calchietta-USA TODAY Sports)
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Wagner was able to qualify in his final year last year, though he fell just five votes short. And while he even admitted it was a “nightmare” to wait, his numbers certainly scream that he deserves the honor.
His 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings ranks fourth in MLB history among relief pitchers who have pitched at least 500 innings since 1920. His 422 saves are seventh-most, and his 2.31 ERA is second only to Mariano Rivera. Wagner was elite from start to finish. In fact, his lowest ERA in a season was his last season in 2010, when he posted a 1.43 ERA. He also has the highest strikeout rate and lowest batting average among pitchers with over 900. inning.
Wagner, who spent time with the Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves, was a seven-time All-Star and received two Cy Young Award votes. Mr. Sabathia received 86.6% of the vote and Mr. Wagner received 82.5%.
Billy Wagner of the Houston Astros plays against the San Diego Padres on April 23, 2000 in San Diego, California. (Sports News, via Getty Images, via Getty Images)
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Dave Parker and Dick Allen were selected by the Classical Era Committee last month, and all five will be enshrined together this summer.
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