Newly-elected Baseball Corridor of Fame members, from left, Ichiro Suzuki, left, Billy Wagner and CC Sabathia pose for photograph throughout a information convention, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, in Cooperstown, N.Y. (AP Photograph/Hans Pennink)
Photograph
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Ichiro Suzuki desires to boost a glass with the voter who selected to not examine off his identify on the Corridor of Fame poll.
“There’s one writer that I wasn’t able to get a vote from,” he stated by a translator Thursday, two days after receiving 393 of 394 votes from the Baseball Writers’ Affiliation of America. “I would like to invite him over to my house, and we’ll have a drink together, and we’ll have a good chat.”
Ichiro struggled to course of being the primary participant from Japan elected to the Corridor.
“Maybe five, 10 years from now I could look back and maybe we’ll be able to say this is what it meant,” he stated.
BBWAA secretary-treasurer Jack O’Connell recalled Ichiro was on the Corridor in 2001 when he known as to tell the Seattle star he had been voted AL Rookie of the Yr. Ichiro obtained 27 of 28 first-place votes, all however one from an Ohio author who chosen Sabathia.
“He stole my Rookie of the Year,” Sabathia stated playfully.
Sabathia remembered a recreation at Safeco Area on July 30, 2005. He had labored with Cleveland pitching coach Carl Willis in a bullpen session on a pitch he may throw to retire Ichiro, which turned out to be a slider.
“I get two strikes on Ichi and he hits it off the window,” Sabathia stated of the 428-foot drive off the second deck restaurant in proper area, on the time the longest house run of Ichiro’s large league profession. “Come back around his next at-bat, throw it to him again, first pitch he hits it out again.”
Ichiro’s second house run broke a sixth-inning tie within the Mariners’ 3-2 win.
Because the trio mentioned their favourite memorabilia, Ichiro talked about a mockup Corridor of Fame plaque the Corridor had created — not a design for the actual one — that included his canine, Ikkyu.
“Our dog and then Bob Feller’s cat are the only animals to have the Hall of Fame plaque. That is something that I cherish,” Ichiro stated, referring to a mockup with the pitcher’s cat, Felix.
Sabathia helped the New York Yankees win the World Sequence in 2009 after agreeing to a $161 million, seven-year contract as a free agent. Sabathia began his large league profession in Cleveland, completed the 2008 season in Milwaukee and was apprehensive about signing with the Yankees earlier than he was persuaded by common supervisor Brian Cashman.
“Going into the offseason, I just heard all of the stuff that was going on, the turmoil in the Yankees clubhouse,” Sabathia stated. “Pretty quick, like two or three days into spring training, me and Andy (Pettitte) are running in the outfield, I get a chance to meet (Derek) Jeter, we’re hanging out, and the pitching staff, we’re going to dinners, we’re going to basketball games together. So it didn’t take long at all before I felt like this was the right decision.”
Sabathia was on 342 ballots and Wagner on 325 (82.5%), which was 29 votes greater than the 296 wanted for the required 75%. Whereas Ichiro and Sabathia have been elected of their first poll look, Wagner was voted in on his tenth and closing strive with the writers.
Even two days after studying of his election, Wagner had tears streaming down his cheeks when he thought again to the decision. His face turned pink.
“It’s humbling,” he stated, his voice quavering earlier than he paused. “I don’t know if it’s deserving but to sit out 10 years and have your career scrutinized and stuff, it’s tough.”
Wagner, who’s 5-foot-10, turned the primary left-hander elected to the Corridor who was primarily a reliever. He considered the phrases of 5-foot-11 right-hander Pedro Martínez, voted to Cooperstown in 2015.
“I hope kids around see that there is a chance that you can get here and it is possible, that size and where you’re from doesn’t matter,” Wagner stated. “I think Pedro said it first, but If I can get here, anyone can get here.”