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Former Seattle Mariners slugger Ichiro Suzuki is a candidate for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Suzuki is considered a shoe-in for the honor, and nothing can truly describe how much that would mean to him. He is about to become the first Japanese player ever inducted to Cooperstown.
“I think it will have huge meaning to him, very significant,” Suzuki's friend Jeff Idelson said, per USA Today. “There’s no one who appreciates baseball history in America and Japan, and in general than him. It’s the capstone to an incredible career, not only in in the United States, but in Japan.
“His respect for the game, his wanting to assimilate and take it to another level – and you can argue that he did.”
The next class of the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame is announced Tuesday. Suzuki is one of three players expected to be selected, joining CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.
“His election into the Hall of Fame will have a great significance to him. It won’t define him, because his career defines him, but having that plaque in Cooperstown and being the first Japanese-born player to do so is monumental,” Idelson added.
Suzuki played for several clubs in his long MLB career, but is long associated with the Mariners.
Ichiro Suzuki is one of the best to ever play
Suzuki, commonly referred to as “Ichiro,” was one of the best players ever for the Mariners. He finished his career playing in MLB in 2019, after nearly 20 years in the game.
The former Mariners outfielder also spent time with the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees. In his career, Suzuki posted 117 home runs and 780 runs batted in. Suzuki played in a whopping 2,653 games in his nearly 20 year career.
Ichiro accomplished just about everything in his MLB career except win a World Series. He was a 10-time All-Star in MLB, and was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 2001. That season, he was also named AL MVP. He won 10 Gold Glove awards and three Silver Slugger awards.
Before his time in America, Suzuki spent several years playing professional baseball in Japan. He also made his mark in his home country, finishing as an All-Star seven times in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. He represented Japan at the World Baseball Classic, and won gold medals twice.
Suzuki also had a major impact in bringing Japanese players to America. After Suzuki, several Japanese stars have come over to play for MLB teams. Those players include: Shohei Ohtani, Kodai Senga and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Hall of Fame voting reveal is expected at 6:00 ET on Tuesday.
