One Vote Shy of Unanimous, Ichiro Suzuki Tops List of New Hall of Famers

The former Mariners hit machine will be enshrined in Cooperstown on Sunday along with CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dick Allen, and Dave Parker.

Former Mariner Ichiro Suzuki acknowledges fans during the Mariners Hall of Fame pregame ceremony prior to a game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Aug. 27, 2022. Steph Chambers/Getty Images

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1936, making the 2025 Hall of Fame ceremony the 90th edition. It is the oldest Hall of Fame among the Big 4 North American sports and arguably the most prestigious.

The 2025 class features five players, including three recent greats—Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner—as well as two elected via the Veteran’s Committee in Dick Allen and Dave Parker.

Here’s a closer look at the five-man class for the 2025 MLB Hall of Fame.

Ichiro Suzuki, outfielder, Mariners (99.75 percent of ballots)

Finishing just one vote shy of unanimous election in his first year of eligibility, Ichiro collected more base hits than anyone in professional baseball history. With his 3,089 MLB hits and 1,278 hits in Japan, no player ever racked up more knocks than Ichiro’s 4,367 base hits. Despite not starting his MLB career until he was 27, Ichiro still joined the 3,000-hit club thanks to amazing consistency. He’s the only player in MLB history to record 200-plus hits in 10 straight years, and his 262 hits in the 2004 season remain the single-season record.

Ichiro also racked up over 500 stolen bases and won 10 Gold Glove awards. His 2001 rookie year could very well be the greatest season by a first-year player in MLB history, as he’s the only player to win MVP, Rookie of the Year, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger, and start in the All-Star Game in the same season.

CC Sabathia, pitcher, Yankees (86.8 percent)

Just the third (of now four) southpaws to strike out 3,000 batters, Sabathia was an ace for two decades. He had over 1,500 strikeouts during the 2000s and then had another 1,500-plus strikeouts during the 2010s. He also had 251 career victories and a .609 winning percentage. That makes him, Randy Johnson, and Tom Glavine the only left-handed pitchers in MLB history with at least 250 wins, a .600 won-lost percentage, and 2,500 career strikeouts.

Sabathia won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award with Cleveland and also won a World Series ring with the 2009 Yankees, posting a sparkling 1.98 ERA during the Yanks’ postseason run. Like his former Yankees teammate Ichiro, Sabathia was also voted into the MLB HOF in his first year on the ballot.

Billy Wagner, pitcher, Astros (82.5 percent)

Wagner is someone who didn’t get the honor of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer, as he had to wait until his 10th and final year on the ballot to go in. But he’s still a Hall of Famer thanks to his seven All-Star appearances and 422 saves. The latter ranks eighth all-time but was fifth-most at the time of his retirement in 2010, and it still is second-most among lefties. Wagner saved his best for last—his final season was his greatest as he had his lowest ERA (1.43), his most wins (seven), and he struck out the final four batters he faced in the regular season.

Dick Allen, first baseman, Phillies (81.3 percent)

A Pennsylvania native, Allen spent nine of his 15 MLB seasons with the Phillies and was one of the premier hitters during the 1960s and 1970s. He led the league in OPS four times, and for an 11-year stretch from 1964-74, only Hank Aaron had a higher OPS. Seven times during his career Allen hit over .300, and he eclipsed 30 home runs in six seasons.

Even though he’s best known for his time with the Phillies, Allen’s defining season came with the Chicago White Sox in 1972. He won the AL MVP while leading the league in both home runs and RBI, while just missing out on the Triple Crown as he finished third in batting average.

Despite his impressive career, Allen never accumulated more than 18.9 percent of votes (75 percent is needed) from the Baseball Writers for HOF induction during his 15 years on that ballot. It then took his seventh vote from the Veteran’s Committee to get the nod, and he will be enshrined posthumously. He died in 2020.

Dave Parker, outfielder, Pirates (87.5 percent)

Parker is another who will go in posthumously, as he just died in June. Nicknamed “Cobra,” Parker was a true five-tool player from 1973-91. He won two batting titles, hit 339 home runs and was a HR Derby champion, had 154 stolen bases, and was a three-time Gold Glove winner. A lifetime .290 hitter, Parker was the 1978 NL MVP with the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he spent 11 years before joining his hometown Cincinnati Reds in 1984.

In his mid-30s, Parker had a career resurgence and nearly won his second MVP, finishing as runner-up in 1985. He won World Series championships with the Pirates in 1979 and a decade later with the Oakland Athletics in 1989. A contributor late in his career, Cobra made the 1990 All-Star Game at age 39 while with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will begin on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET from Cooperstown, N.Y. With the induction of these five, there will be 351 members in the Baseball Hall of Fame, with 279 of them being former players.