Baseball legend Ichiro Suzuki doesn't lose sight of the fact that just one voter prevented him from becoming the second player in baseball history to be unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Suzuki, who was sworn in on Tuesday but fell one vote short of unanimity, said at a press conference Thursday that he wanted to meet with the one person who voted against him.
Suzuki said through an interpreter, “I would like to invite him to my house. I would like to have a drink with him and have a nice conversation.''
Suzuki will join legendary New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera as the only players in MLB history to be unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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Former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki throws the ball into the dugout before throwing the ceremonial first pitch during a game against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park. (Joe Nicholson/USA Today Sports)
News that Suzuki's number of votes fell short of a unanimous vote sparked outrage from fans and media experts on social media in the hours after it was announced.
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Former Seattle Mariners player Ichiro Suzuki was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame and gave a speech before the game between the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park. (Stephen Bisig/USA Today Sports)
Suzuki will be the first player from Japan to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Suzuki transferred to the major leagues from Japan in 2001 at the age of 27, joining Fred Lynn in 1975 as the only player to win AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP in the same season. Suzuki batted .311 with 117 home runs, 780 RBIs, and 509 stolen bases for the Seattle Mariners (2001-12, 2018-19), and was a two-time American League batting champion and an All-Star and Gold Glove selection 10 times. He was an outfielder (2001-12, 2018-19). York Yankees (2012-14) and Miami Marlins (2015-17).
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Ichiro Suzuki before the Seattle Mariners vs. St. Louis Cardinals game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on April 21, 2023. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Suzuki is perhaps the best contact hitter in baseball history with 1,278 hits in Japanese professional baseball and 3,089 hits in MLB. His total of 4,367 surpasses Pete Rose's MLB record of 4,256. Suzuki recorded 262 hits in 2004.
CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner join Suzuki in the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
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