Japanese baseball star Ichiro Suzuki (51), dubbed “genius hitter,” has been nominated for the Major League Hall of Fame (MLB) of the U.S. Major League Baseball. Having set various records in the MLB during his time as an active player, he aims to join the team unanimously for the second time in his history beyond being the first Japanese to join the team.
The MLB Hall of Fame announced 14 new and 14 existing candidates for the Hall of Fame in 2025 on the 19th (Korea time). Ichiro was listed as one of the 14 new candidates. The Hall of Fame will serve in the Major League for more than 10 seasons, and will not be eligible until five seasons after retirement. Ichiro, who retired after the 2019 season, met his qualification request and was newly nominated.
Since joining the Major League in 2001, 토토사이트 had a batting average of 0.311, 3,089 hits, 117 homers, 780 RBIs, 1,420 runs, 509 steals, and an on-base percentage of 0.402. Notably, he received the Rookie of the Year award and the Most Valuable Player award from his debut season, and posted various records including hitting more than 200 hits in a season for 10 consecutive years. He was named the batting champion twice in the American League and was also named an All-Star 10 times.
Earlier this year, Ichiro was selected as the most likely candidate in an article predicting “a player who will be selected as a Hall of Fame candidate for the next five years” by MLB. As his footprint in MLB is clear, attention is being paid to whether he will be unanimous in the vote of the U.S. Baseball Press Association, which has the right to vote for the Hall of Fame. Among the players who have joined the MLB Hall of Fame in history, Mariano Rivera, who played as a “special finish,” was the only player who joined the MLB Hall of Fame in 2019.
Earlier, Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo (2014) and batter Hideki Matsui (2018) were nominated, but they were eliminated with only around 1 percent approval rating. Ichiro is aiming to join the MLB Hall of Fame for the first time ever for a Japanese player. In addition to Ichiro, new candidates include C.C. Sabathia, a 200-win pitcher, Felix Hernandez, a 2010 American League Cy Young Award pitcher, and Curtis Granderson, an outfielder. The vote for the Hall of Fame will close on January 1 next year, and the results will be announced on January 24.