Ichiro becomes first Japanese player elected to MLB Hall of Fame

LOS ANGELES: Ichiro Suzuki, whose uncanny hitting talent made him a Seattle Mariners icon, became the first Japanese player elected to Major League Baseball's (MLB) Hall of Fame on Tuesday (Jan 21).

Ichiro headlines the 2025 Hall of Fame class to be enshrined at Cooperstown, New York, which also includes pitcher CC Sabathia and relief pitcher Billy Wagner.

In his first year of eligibility, the 51-year-old Ichiro fell just one vote shy of unanimous selection in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America - something achieved to date only by Yankees pitching great Mariano Rivera.

But for a player who had already stamped himself a star in his homeland before he got his shot at the Major Leagues, the call to Cooperstown was enough.

"This challenge started in 2001 and now it's 2025, I couldn't imagine that it would get to this point where I would be today," Ichiro said through an interpreter in an interview with MLB Network.

"There was a time that I didn't even know if I'd get the chance to play in the MLB. So what an honor it is for me to be here and to be a Hall of Famer. It's a special day."

Ichiro was 27 when he made his debut with the Mariners in 2001, becoming the first Japanese position player, as opposed to a pitcher, to play in the United States major leagues.

He won both American League Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year honors that year, going on to earn 10 All-Star nods, 10 Gold Glove awards and three Silver Slugger Awards.

He finished his career with 3,089 hits in MLB - on top of 1,278 he piled up in nine years in Japan.

His 4,367 hits as a professional are the most of any player in baseball history, surpassing MLB's all-time leader Pete Rose (4,256).

He amassed two batting titles, 1,420 runs and