Finally. On July 27, Ichiro Suzuki is having his day in Cooperstown, New York.
Baseball never shies away from a challenge. Beating the record of attracting 82,000 fans on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown is quite the challenge. Even to come close to the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s all-time induction ceremonies attendance record is going to be nothing short of monumental to draw next weekend at “the Home of Baseball.” The July 29, 2007, inductions of the Class of 2007 Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn caused an overflow of MLB fans like the Village of Cooperstown hadn’t experienced.
Motels, hotels, and bed and breakfast inns were filled to capacity throughout Central New York, the Capital District, and the state’s Southern Tier region. Hollywood’s John Travolta was among the spectators who found their way to Otsego County’s State Route 52 to pay homage to Ripken Jr. and Gwynn, two of baseball’s greatest performers and ambassadors for the game.
Ichiro’s connection to MLB fans over a 19-year career—first beginning in the 2001 season with the Seattle Mariners and concluding on March 21, 2019, in Japan’s Tokyo Dome as a member of the Mariners in a game against the Chicago Cubs—spans a couple of generations. After announcing his retirement following his two-game “swan song” in his home country, MLB and Cooperstown have been waiting for Ichiro’s induction speech.
With Ichiro being the first Japanese-born baseball player to enter the Hall of Fame, as part of the five-member Class of 2025 (including Billy Wagner, Dick Allen, Dave Parker, and CC Sabathia), there’s probably only one question surrounding his historic induction. With all his accomplishments on the field, how is Ichiro not a unanimous first-ballot electee?
Only one voting member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) left Ichiro off their ballot. This past January, when the votes were tabulated, Ichiro received 99.7 percent; 393 of 394 writers voted for him. BBWAA members that have been writing about baseball for at least 10 years receive the honor to cast votes.
Former New York Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter (Class of 2020), like Ichiro, missed having a unanimous vote by the same margin of 99.7 percent. The BBWAA member who didn’t vote for Jeter isn’t a mystery. The one writer who decided to leave Ichiro off of his ballot isn’t known.
From Ichiro’s rookie season of 2001, his career in the Pacific Northwest took off like a rocket. So for those who followed him through the media or in the stadiums, having a day in Cooperstown 24 years later isn’t a surprise.
As a 27-year-old rookie attending his first spring training camp at the Peoria Sports Complex in Arizona, there was little debate that the “fleet of foot” outfielder was going to be an impact player. But dominating on offense and defense immediately caught the game and its fans by surprise.
In hindsight, given Ichiro’s track record of playing nine seasons (1992–2000) for Nippon Pro Baseball’s (Japan’s highest level of play) Orix Blue Wave of the Pacific League, there really wouldn’t be a question if he would succeed Stateside. He won seven consecutive batting titles with the BlueWave. He performed at a level then as Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers does now. For a player at five feet 11 inches and 175 pounds, small for modern athletes on the professional level, Ichiro carried a big stick.
The 2001 Mariners’ season was magical, from a team standpoint, and personally for Ichiro. Seattle won the American League West by 14 games ahead of the Oakland A’s. The team won 116 games.
Ichiro made a strong introduction to MLB audiences by being selected for both the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP. He batted a league-leading .350, won a Rawlings Gold Glove, and swiped 56 bases.
Ichiro had arrived on the MLB scene and immediately became a force that opposing teams found baffling. Add onto to Ichiro’s Cooperstown credentials of appearing in 10 consecutive MLB All-Star Games (including hitting the only inside-the-park home run in All-Star Game history at the 207 Midsummer Classic in San Francisco), 3,089 hits, and 262 hits in 2006 (an MLB all-time record), and a solid case as could be presented to BBWAA voters for election to the Hall of Fame was made.
Today, Ichiro, 51, will be one of the youngest Hall of Famers. Physically, he appears in playing shape, as when he retired in Tokyo. Ichiro’s fans, both in North America and Japan, should easily fill the Clark Sports Center grounds, one mile southeast of the Village of Cooperstown.
As far as fans attending the ceremonies on Sunday can see, they are sure to see many Mariners T-shirts with No. 51 and Ichiro’s first name on the back of them. The MLB phenomenon’s legacy will only grow stronger once Ichiro is standing on stage to collect his replica plaque of the one that will be on display in the Hall of Fame’s gallery.
An amazing day is planned for an equally amazing ballplayer, where MLB legends live forever.
