'One Vote Short of Unanimity' Ichiro: "I Want to Have a Drink with That Person"
Missed Unanimous Hall of Fame Induction by One Vote
Ichiro Receives 393 out of 394 Votes, Achieving a 99.75% Voting Rate
Ichiro Suzuki (51), who missed unanimous Hall of Fame induction by just one vote, said he wants to have a drink with the journalist who did not vote for him.
At a press conference held on the 24th (Korean time) at the Major League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, Ichiro expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you to all the journalists who voted for me."
He added, "There is exactly one person who did not vote for me. I want to invite that person to my home and have a drink together. I want to meet them, so please reveal yourself and come to Seattle."
In the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) Hall of Fame voting released on the 22nd, Ichiro received 393 out of 394 votes, achieving a 99.75% voting rate. He was just one vote short of a 100% unanimous vote.
Voting rights for the Hall of Fame are given to BBWAA members who have covered MLB for more than 10 years. The voting is conducted by secret ballot and anonymously. Since voters have various criteria, unanimous votes are rare. The only player to be inducted unanimously in history is Mariano Rivera, the legendary closer of the New York Yankees (2019).
At the press conference, CC Sabathia (342 votes, 86.8%) and Billy Wagner (325 votes, 82.5%), who also crossed the Hall of Fame threshold, were present with Ichiro. Both players easily surpassed the 75% voting rate required for induction. However, Wagner succeeded in entering the Hall of Fame on his 10th and final opportunity as a candidate.
Wagner, the greatest left-handed bullpen pitcher with a total of 422 saves, said with tears, "I became humble. I don't know if I deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, but being evaluated for 10 years was really tough."
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Sabathia, who entered MLB in 2001 along with Ichiro, said, "Ichiro is the player who stole my Rookie of the Year award." At that time, Ichiro received 27 out of 28 first-place votes for the American League Rookie of the Year, and Sabathia received the remaining one first-place vote.
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