Ichiro Suzuki Throws Playful JAB at Marlins Following Induction in 2025 Hall of Fame

Ichiro Suzuki spent 3 seasons with the Miami Marlins after joining them in 2015 before returning to the Seattle Mariners in 2018.

Ichiro Suzuki Throws Playful JAB at Marlins Following Induction in 2025 Hall of Fame

Ichiro Suzuki (Image via CNN/X/@MLB)

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On Sunday, Ichiro Suzuki was officially inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. During his speech, the Japanese international would thank his former teams, the Seattle Mariners, the New York Yankees, and the Miami Marlins. He would even take a hilarious shot at the Marlins.

After spending 9 seasons with the Onix BlueWaves in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan, Suzuki made his debut in MLB at the age of 27 with the Mariners in 2001. Following a decade long stay in Seattle, he would move to the Yankees.

The 10-time MLB All-Star would spend 2 and a half years in the Bronx before moving to Miami to play for the Marlins. While remembering his journey on Sunday in English, the 51-year-old took a playful jab at the Marlins and claimed that he had no idea about the team when they offered him a contract in 2015.

And to the Miami Marlins- I appreciate David Samson and Mike Hill for coming today. Honestly, when you guys called to offer me a contract for 2015, I had never heard of your team.

Ichiro Suzuki said

Ichiro Suzuki was in his 40s when he joined the Marlins in 2015. In his first season with the team, he batted with a .229 average and had just 5 doubles, 6 triples, 1 home run, and 21 RBIs. He did manage to bounce back in his second season with the team though.

In the 2016 season, Suzuki batted with a .291 average while having 15 doubles, 5 triples, 1 home run and 22 RBIs. After another year with the Marlins in 2017, Suzuki returned to the Mariners in 2018 and retired a year later in 2019.

Suzuki would spend 19 years in the MLB and finished with a batting average of .311 with 117 home runs and 780 RBIs. He would finish with 3,089 hits and was a 3-time Silver Slugger, 2-time American League Batting Champion, and won both the AL MVP and the AL Rookie of the Year award in his debut season in 2001.

Ichiro Suzuki calls out one voter who did not vote for him

Even before Ichiro Suzuki was officially on the Hall of Fame ballot, it was assumed that he would be a first ballot Hall of Famer. While that did happen, he missed out on a unanimous induction by one vote as one member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) did not vote for him. On Sunday, Suzuki called out that one voter.

Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki (Image via Imago)

As per the rules, a player needs around 75 percent of the votes to reach Cooperstown. Suzuki received 99.7 percent of the votes, as 393 of the 394 voters voted for him. Only one member of the BBWAA did not pick him.

Suzuki, who made several jokes during his induction speech, would call out that one writer. He would hilariously claim that his (Suzuki’s) offer to have dinner with him at his home had now expired.

3,000 hits or 262 hits in one season are achievements recognized by the writers. Well, all but one of you. And, by the way, the offer for that writer to have dinner at my home has now expired.

Ichiro Suzuki said

Suzuki became the 2nd player, after Derek Jeter, to fall one vote shy of a unanimous induction. Just like Suzuki, Jeter received 99.7 percent of votes during his induction in 2020.

As of now, only Mariano Rivera has received 100 percent of the votes during the Hall of Fame induction. The former New York Yankees closer received all 425 votes during his induction in 2019.

Along with Suzuki, another former Yankees star joined Cooperstown on Sunday. Pitcher C.C. Sabathia also joined the MLB Hall of Fame as a first ballot entry.

They were joined by Billy Wagner, who was in the final year of his eligibility, in the HOF on Sunday through the voting from the BBWAA. Meanwhile, Dave Parker and Dick Allen were elected into the Hall of Fame through the Classic Baseball Era committee.

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