Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners made history once again, this time with a speech that had the crowd laughing and chanting his name. On Sunday, he became the first player born in Japan to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
He wasn’t alone on stage. The Class of 2025 included CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dick Allen, and Dave Parker. The latter two were honored posthumously.
After a weather delay and a burst of July humidity, the ceremony finally got rolling. Suzuki opened his speech with a grin and a jab: “For the third time, I am a rookie.” He delivered his remarks in English, something he rarely did publicly, and immediately showed off the dry humor his teammates have long known behind the scenes.
He thanked the Hall of Fame voters, but pointed out that he missed unanimous selection by one vote. He offered a cheeky reminder of a past comment he made when results were announced.
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“At the time, I invited the one writer who didn’t vote for me to dinner. That offer has now… expired!”
The 10-time Gold Glove winner reflected on being underestimated. At 5’11” and 170 pounds, many doubted he’d last in Major League Baseball when he made his debut at 27. He proved them all wrong.
“I was told I was too small. But if you do the little things well, there’s no ceiling,” Suzuki said. He wrapped up his speech with a grin and a simple summary of his career: “Not bad.”
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