One Vote Short of Unanimous... Ichiro Enters MLB Hall of Fame

Just One Vote Short of Unanimous Induction

Ichiro Suzuki (51, Japan), who heated up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States, has become the first Asian player to be inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame.

The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), which selects Hall of Fame inductees, announced the results of this year's vote on the 22nd (Korean time). Ichiro received 393 out of 394 votes, achieving a voting rate of 99.75%.

Ichiro. Tokyo EPA=Yonhap News

The biggest point of interest in this Hall of Fame vote was whether Ichiro would be inducted unanimously. In MLB history, the only player to be inducted unanimously was Mariano Rivera, the iconic closer, in 2019.

Legendary players such as Derek Jeter (2020, 99.75% voting rate), Ken Griffey Jr. (2016, 99.32%), Tom Seaver (1992, 98.84%), Nolan Ryan (1999, 98.79%), Cal Ripken Jr. (2007, 98.53%), and Ty Cobb (1936, 98.23%) all fell short of unanimous induction.

Ichiro was just one vote short of unanimous induction, like Jeter in 2020. Ichiro played nine seasons with the Orix Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball before signing with the Seattle Mariners in 2001 to enter MLB. From his first year across the Pacific, he began accumulating hits at a fierce pace, starting his path to legend. As a rookie in 2001, Ichiro recorded 242 hits, sweeping both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards. Over 19 seasons in the big leagues, he amassed 3,089 hits, and combined with his 1,278 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball, he left a professional total of 4,257 hits.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.