“Absolute legend”- Social media goes into FRENZY as Ex-Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki gets elected to the MLB Hall of Fame

Ichiro Suzuki fell one vote short of being a unanimous MLB Hall of Famer as he received 99.7 percent of votes from the BBWAA.

“Absolute legend”- Social media goes into FRENZY as Ex-Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki gets elected to the MLB Hall of Fame

Ichiro Suzuki (Image via Imago)

On Tuesday, the MLB Hall of Fame Class of 2025 was announced. Former Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki was the first one to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. He scripted history by doing so as he became the 1st Japanese born-player to be elected into the MLB Hall of Fame.

After spending nine years in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) of Japan with Orix BlueWave, Ichiro Suzuki joined the MLB in 2001 at the age of 27. Despite his late entry into the MLB, the outfielder went on to lay down a huge mark on the game of baseball.

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During his first season in 2001, Suzuki was named the American League Rookie of the Year and the American League MVP. He went on to spend 11 more seasons with the Seattle Mariners where he raked up several milestones, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and All-Star awards.

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The outfielder also played for the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins before coming back to the Mariners where he retired in 2019. He ended his MLB career with a .311 career batting average, 117 home runs, 780 RBI, 509 stolen bases and 3,089 hits.

While speaking to MLB Network, the 51-year-old expressed that he did not even think he would get to play in the major leagues in his career.

There was a time I didn’t even know if I’d get the chance to play in MLB. So what an honor it is for me to be here and to be a Hall of Famer. It’s a special day.

Ichiro Suzuki said through his interpreter

He though failed just short of a unanimous vote. Just like his former Yankees teammate Derek Jeter, Suzuki amassed 99.7 percent of the votes and fell one short of 100 percent. Mariano Rivera remains the only player to receive every single vote and be a unanimous election.

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Social media reactions to Ichiro Suzuki being named MLB Hall of Famer

When the ballot for the 2025 Hall of Fame was revealed, it seemed destined that Ichiro Suzuki would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. On Tuesday, that’s exactly what happened as he got 393 votes out of a possible 394 to join Cooperstown.

Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki (Image via X)

Fans on social media are in a frenzy following the official announcement of Suzuki as a Hall of Famer. Many would congratulate him for this accomplishment. One user on X wrote, “Absolute legend” while reacting to this.

Check out some of the tweets from X regarding Suzuki’s induction into the HOF below:

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Apart from Ichiro Suzuki, one of his former teammates, CC Sabathia was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. The former Cy Young Award winner received a total of 86.8 percent votes in his first year of eligibility. Billy Wagner was the third player to reach Cooperstown this year as he received 82.5 percent votes in his final year of eligibility.