COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Ichiro Suzuki wants to raise a cup with voters who chose not to check their name on the Hall of Fame ballot.
“There’s one writer who didn’t get any votes,” he said Thursday through an interpreter, two days after receiving 393 of 394 votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America. “I would like to invite him to my house, have a drink with him, and have a nice conversation.”
Suzuki had visited the hall seven times before attending Thursday’s press conference with fellow winners CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner. The trio will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27, along with Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were voted on by the Classic Era Committee last month.
Suzuki struggled to become the first player from Japan to be selected to the Hall.
“Maybe in five, 10 years we’ll look back and say this is what it meant,” he said.
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Jack O’Connell, executive director and treasurer of the BBWAA, recalled being in the hall in 2001 when Suzuki called to let the Seattle star know he had been named American League Rookie of the Year. Ta. Suzuki received 27 of 28 first-place votes, all but one from an Ohio writer who chose Sabathia.
“He stole my Rookie of the Year award,” Sabathia said playfully.
Sabathia recalled the July 30, 2005 game at Safeco Field. He was practicing in the bullpen with Cleveland pitching coach Carl Willis, throwing a pitch meant to force Suzuki to retire, but that pitch turned out to be a slider.
“I got two strikes, and he hit it out the window,” Sabathia said of Suzuki’s 428-foot home run from the second-floor restaurant in the right-field seats, at the time the longest home run of Suzuki’s major league career. Ta. “I come back around my next at-bat, throw it to him again, and he hits the first pitch again.”
In the sixth inning, with the Mariners winning 3–2, Suzuki’s second home run broke the tie.
As the three discussed their favorite memorabilia, Suzuki mentioned Hall’s mock-up of the Hall of Fame plaque (not the actual design), which included his dog Ikkyu.
“The only animals that have a Hall of Fame plaque are my dog and Bob Feller’s cat. That’s something I cherish,” Suzuki said, referring to a mock-up of the pitcher’s cat Felix.
Sabathia agreed to a seven-year contract worth $161 million as a free agent and helped the New York Yankees win the World Series in 2009. Sabathia began his major league career with Cleveland and finished the 2008 season with Milwaukee, but he was nervous about signing with the Yankees until he was persuaded by general manager Brian Cashman.
“We just went into the offseason and heard all the things that were going on, including the chaos in the Yankees clubhouse,” Sabathia said. “A couple days into spring training, me and Andy (Pettitte) are running in the outfield and I got a chance to meet (Derek) Jeter and we’re playing together and the pitching staff is together.” It didn’t take long for me to feel like this was the right decision as we would go out to dinner and go to basketball games together. ”
Mr. Sabathia received 342 votes and Mr. Wagner received 325 votes (82.5%), 29 votes more than the 296 votes required for 75%. Suzuki and Sabathia were selected on the first ballot, but Wagner was voted off on his tenth and final attempt as a writer.
Even though it had been two days since she found out she had won, Wagner still had tears streaming down her cheeks as she recalled the phone call. his face turned red.
“I’m humbled,” he said, his voice trembling as he paused. “I don’t know if it’s worth it, but it’s tough to sit there for 10 years and have your career and other things scrutinized.”
The 5-foot-10-inch Wagner was the first left-hander to be elected to the Hall, primarily as a reliever. He recalled the words of Pedro Martinez, a 5-foot-11 right-hander who voted for Cooperstown in 2015.
“I want the kids around me to understand that it doesn’t matter how big you are or where you come from, it’s possible and possible to get here,” Wagner said. “I think Pedro was the first to say, if I can get here, anyone can get here.”
