Ichiro Suzuki zings Hall of Fame voter who kept him from unanimous election

Washington Post

4 days ago

Ichiro Suzuki's Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech Sunday was full of remarks about how grateful he was to those who helped him reach that point and to the fans who drove him to stay atop his craft through 19 MLB seasons.
The longtime Seattle Mariners star also sprinkled in plenty of humor — including when he took a jab at the one Baseball Writers' Association of America voter who prevented him from unanimous election to Cooperstown.
'Three thousand hits or 262 hits in one season are achievements recognized by the writers,' Suzuki said of two of his most notable accomplishments. 'Well, all but one of you. And by the way, the offer for that writer to have dinner at my home has now expired.'
That was a reference to comments Suzuki made shortly after he was elected to the Hall of Fame in January. The results of that process showed the 10-time all-star was included on 393 of 394 ballots. That gave Suzuki a tie with Derek Jeter for the second-highest vote percentage in Hall of Fame history, but it still left Mariano Rivera, inducted in 2019, as the only unanimous selection since voting began nine decades ago.
At a news conference in January, Suzuki said in remarks translated from the Japanese he spoke at the time: 'I was able to receive many votes from the writers, and I'm grateful for them. But there's one writer that I wasn't able to get a vote from. I would like to invite him over to my house, and we'll have a drink together and we'll have a good chat.'
Apparently, that chat won't be happening.
At least by remaining anonymous, though, the voter in question won't also be getting earfuls from Mariners fans and others frustrated by the resumption of the BBWAA's pre-Rivera habit of never voting in a player unanimously. That apparent tradition goes back to the Hall's first class, voted upon in 1936, when not even Babe Ruth — headlining a legendary quintet that also featured Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson — could muster 100 percent of the vote.
In the decades that followed, all-time greats managing only to get above the 90 percent mark included titans such as Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken Jr. and Suzuki's celebrated former Mariners teammate, Ken Griffey Jr.
The first Japan-born position player in MLB, Suzuki didn't arrive until he was 27 and had already collected 1,278 hits in Japan's top league. He proceeded to rack up 3,089 more hits in MLB, giving him a total of 4,367 as a professional. (By comparison, Pete Rose's 4,256 hits are the most in MLB history.) Playing in the majors until he was 45, primarily for the Mariners as well as in stints with the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins, Suzuki also set an MLB single-season record with 262 hits in 2004, and he earned two batting titles and 10 Gold Glove awards.
In 2001, his first MLB season, he became just the second player to win rookie of the year and MVP honors in the same year; at 42 in 2016, he batted .291 over 365 plate appearances en route to a career average of .311.
In 2017, according to a report from MLB.com, the BBWAA voted to make all its Hall of Fame ballots public, but Cooperstown officials rejected the plan. Writers are allowed to share their ballots on an individual basis.
To get enshrined in the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA — players and other MLB figures can subsequently reach Cooperstown through smaller veterans committees — at least 75 percent of the vote is required. Also reaching that threshold this year were a pair of ex-pitchers in CC Sabathia (86.8 percent) and Billy Wagner (82.5 percent).
During his speech, Suzuki thanked former members of the Yankees for being in attendance, then deadpanned, 'I know you guys are really here today for CC, but that's okay.'
That was one of several one-liners Suzuki shared while delivering his speech in English. Early in his remarks, he told the crowd: 'I hope that I can hold the values of the Hall of Fame, but please — I am 51 years old now, so easy on the hazing. I don't need to wear a Hooters uniform again.'
He ribbed the Marlins by claiming that when team officials phoned him to offer a contract in 2015, he had 'never heard' of the franchise. Suzuki also delivered an emphatic impression of longtime Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs.
At another point, Suzuki told Cooperstown attendees: 'The truth is, without baseball you would say, 'This guy is such a dumba--.' I have bad teammates, right, Bob Costas?' He was referring to a years-ago interview with the veteran sportscaster, who was sent into peals of laughter after asking Suzuki for his favorite American expression. Suzuki, who tended to speak Japanese with an interpreter during media appearances, replied to Costas by lightheartedly blaming a 'bad teammate' for teaching him this string of English words: 'August in Kansas City, it's hotter than two rats in a f---ing wool sock.' (The expletive likely came after the word 'rats' in the original telling.)
On Sunday, Suzuki saluted his wife, Yumiko, as 'the most consistent teammate I ever had.' He credited her with never showing any possible 'doubts' about his ability to play at the highest level in American baseball.
'Look at me — I'm 5-11 and 170 pounds,' Suzuki said. 'When I came to America, many people said I was too skinny to compete with bigger major leaguers. The first time I ran out on the field, I was in awe of the competition. But I knew if I stuck to my beliefs about preparation, I could overcome the doubts. Even my own.'