The National Baseball Hall of Fame will welcome three new members this summer: Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner. Ichiro, a Japanese-born player, received 99.7% of the vote, just shy of becoming the second player to be unanimously elected. He is the first Japanese-born player to receive Hall of Fame honors.
Ichiro had a remarkable career, playing for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Miami Marlins. He was a seven-time All-Star and won three Gold Glove Awards. He set the all-time single-season record with 262 hits in 2004 and is one of just seven players to record 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases.
CC Sabathia received 86.6% of the vote in his first year on the ballot. He is one of just 19 pitchers to record 3,000 strikeouts and dominated the 2000s. Sabathia won the Cy Young Award in 2007 and was a six-time All-Star. He won a World Series with the Yankees in 2009 and retired with a 3.74 career ERA.
Billy Wagner received 82.5% of the vote in his final year of eligibility. He is one of the greatest relievers in baseball history, with a 2.31 ERA and 422 saves. Wagner was a seven-time All-Star and twice received Cy Young Award votes. He played for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves.
The three players will join Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Era Committee, in being inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer.
