Meet the New MLB Hall of Fame Inductees
Image Courtesy of Major League Baseball
By Zachary Lichter
Former Major League Baseball (MLB) players, Ichiro Suzuki, Carsten Charles Sabathia, and Billy Wagner’s life changed on January 21 when they received the most exciting news of any former baseball player’s life: that they would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The announcement was made on MLB Network when Josh Rawitch, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum President announced the MLB Hall of Fame Class of 2025 from Cooperstown, New York.
What makes this class unique is that Suzuki became the first MLB player from Japan to get inducted into the Hall of Fame. Suzuki, a right fielder, came to the Seattle Mariners in 2001 at 27 years old from the Orix Blue Wave, a Nippon Professional Baseball team based out of Osaka, Japan. During his 10-year career with the Mariners, he won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year, and in 2004; he passed MLB first baseman George Sisler’s 1920 single-season record of 262 hits.
In 2012, he signed with the New York Yankees until 2015 when he signed with the Miami Marlins. During the 2016 MLB season, he hit his 3,000th career hit, and then in 2018; he finished his career right where it started with the Mariners. Suzuki was one vote away from being voted unanimous in the Baseball Writers Association of America (BWAA) and is the second Yankee to be voted unanimous next to former shortstop, Derek Jeter.
David Zappe, a junior finance major, commented on why Suzuki is worthy of the Hall of Fame.
“Ichiro Suzuki being the first Japanese player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame marks a monumental moment in baseball’s history,” Zappe said. “This induction is a testimony to his dominance, as he truly inspires all Japanese players, broadening the scope of baseball talent internationally.”
Another Yankee, who will be inducted is Sabathia. Sabathia, a pitcher, debuted with the Cleveland Indians in 2001. He won the AL Cy Young Award winner in 2007 and then got traded in 2008 to the Milwaukee Brewers.
In 2009, he signed with the Yankees where he won his first-ever World Series title. Sabathia spent the last ten years of his pitching career with the Yankees. He earned 86.8% of the vote on his Hall of Fame ballot.
The other pitcher who was selected into the Hall of Fame was Wagner, a relief pitcher. Wagner made his debut with the Houston Astros in 1995 and made 225 of his 422 saves while pitching for them until 2003. From 2004 to 2005, he pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies, and then from 2006 to 2009 he pitched for the New York Mets. He then pitched part of the 2009 season with the Atlanta Braves and finished his career with the Boston Red Sox in 2010.
Zappe commented on Wagner getting inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“Wagner often gets overshadowed by other relievers like Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman,” Zappe said. “But his dominance over his era certainly warrants his induction. His 400+ saves, and his elite strikeout numbers, make the case that he was one of the best closers of his time.”
The three inductees will get inducted into the Hall of Fame along with the late Phillies first baseman, Dick Allen and former Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder, Dave Parker. They were both selected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee in December 2024. The five of them will get inducted in Cooperstown on July 27, 2025.
