Ichiro's First Asian Hall of Fame Enters..."I started trying in 2001, but I can't imagine it"

Ichiro's First Asian Hall of Fame Enters..."I started trying in 2001, but I can't imagine it"

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Suzuki Ichiro (51, Japan), who played in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB), became the first Asian player to enter the MLB Hall of Fame.

The American Baseball Journalists Association (BBWAA), which selects the Hall of Fame inductee, announced the results of this year's vote on Tuesday (Korea time). Ichiro received 393 votes out of 394 votes, winning 99.75 percent of the vote. He was 100 percent of the vote and one vote short of unanimous decision.

Since Mariano Rivera (2019), who is synonymous with closing pitcher, attention has been paid to whether it will be unanimous or not, but it was regrettable. Ichiro, like Derek Jeter in 2020, lacked just one vote for unanimous decision.
Ichiro played for the Orix in the Japanese professional baseball league for nine seasons, signed with Seattle in 2001, and entered the MLB.

In the U.S., Ichiro began to build up his reputation as a "hit machine." He had 242 hits in his first year in 2001, winning the Rookie of the Year award and the Most Valuable Player award. He had 3,089 hits during the 19 seasons of the big league, and left 4,257 hits in his professional career including the Japanese professional baseball record (1,278).

Ichiro said in his speech, "I started the challenge in 2001, but I could not imagine that I would be at the announcement site in 2025," adding, "I personally think it's a great honor as a Japanese player because there were discussions about whether I can play in the Major League or not."

He said, "The charm of baseball lies in the game itself, but I think I can meet a lot of people. The meeting of those people made me feel good. Most of all, it's a big asset and a lot of fun."

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Cooperstown, New York, the U.S., on July 27. Ichiro cited Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, and Jeter as his favorites to meet there.

Along with Ichiro, the players who were honored at the Hall of Fame this year are Ichiro CC Sabathia, a left-handed starting pitcher who dominated the era, and Billy Wagner, a left-handed closer. Sabathia won 342 votes, accounting for 86.8 percent of the vote, far exceeding 75 percent of the vote required to enter the Hall of Fame. Wagner also met the criteria with 325 votes, accounting for 82.5 percent of the vote.

To become a Hall of Fame candidate, he or she must play in MLB for more than 10 seasons and five seasons after retirement. If he or she fails to get 75% of the vote, he or she will be given a chance to try again for 10 years, and candidates with less than 5% of the vote will be excluded from the voting the following year.

Sabathia made it to the Hall of Fame in the first ballot, and Wagner made a dramatic name on his 10th last chance. Sabathia went 251-161 with 3577.1 innings and a 3.74 ERA in 19 MLB seasons. Wagner went 47-40 with 422 saves and a 2.31 ERA in 16 seasons. 토토사이트