Ichiro Suzuki leads the latest Baseball Hall of Fame inductees; two others also elected to Cooperstown.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame will have three more plaques this summer.

On Tuesday, Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner were all given the sport's highest accolade and are now bound for Cooperstown.

Ichiro is the first Japanese player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He received 99.7% of the vote, just one vote away from being unanimously elected. To be inducted, players must receive at least 75% of the vote.

Ichiro, a highly touted Japanese prospect, joined the majors in 2001 and hit .353 during his nine seasons playing in his home country, where he won three MVPs and was a seven-time All-Star. At age 28, he joined the Seattle Mariners and immediately lived up to the hype, winning the AL MVP and helping that year’s Mariners team to a record 116 wins.

From 2001 to 2010, Ichiro was named an All-Star in each season and won a Gold Glove Award every year. During this time, he earned three Silver Slugger Awards and won two batting titles, while maintaining a .331 average and .806 OPS. In 2004, he set the all-time single-season record with 262 hits, and he is the only player in MLB history to have 10 straight 200-plus hit seasons. Ichiro also stole over 500 bases and is one of only seven players to have 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases.

Ichiro's career average never dipped below .300 after just his 11th MLB game, and he retired with a .311 average, 3,089 hits, and a 60.0 WAR. In the live-ball era, he is one of only 21 players with at least 10 seasons hitting .300 (among qualified hitters), and the only one to do it 10 straight years. Ichiro spent most of his career with the Mariners, but also made stops with the Yankees and Marlins.

Sabathia, like Ichiro, received recognition in his first year on the ballot. He is one of only 19 pitchers to achieve 3,000 strikeouts and dominated the 2000s. From 2007 to 2011, he consistently finished in the top five of Cy Young Award voting, winning the award in 2007. However, in one season, 2008, he finished fifth in the NL vote despite being traded from Cleveland in the AL to the NL's Brewers in July.

In his brief tenure with Milwaukee (17 starts), he completed seven full games and maintained a 1.65 ERA, with much of his work occurring on three days rest as the Brewers pursued a postseason berth.

In 2009, the lefty won a World Series with the Yankees, despite being in his first season with the team and having the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. However, from 2013 to 2015, he struggled, pitching to a 4.81 ERA. Alcoholism had become a detriment to both his career and life. After rehab, he reinvented himself as a finesse pitcher and recorded three more seasons with an ERA below 4.00.

After a 2019 season, he retired with a 3.74 career ERA, 3,093 strikeouts, 251 wins, and six All-Star appearances. On his final pitch, he dislocated his shoulder and joked that he pitched until he couldn't.

Although he fell short by five votes in his previous year, Wagner was ultimately awarded the nod in his final year of eligibility due to his deserving numbers.

Since 1920, among relievers with 500-plus innings, his 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings are the fourth most in MLB history. Additionally, his 422 saves rank seventh, while his 2.31 ERA is second, behind only Mariano Rivera. Wagner was elite from start to finish. His lowest ERA in a season came in his final one, when he posted a 1.43 ERA in 2010. Furthermore, he has the highest strikeout rate and lowest batting average against among pitchers with 900-plus innings.

Wagner was a seven-time All-Star and twice received Cy Young Award votes, spending time with the Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox, and Braves. Sabathia received 86.6% of the vote, while Wagner got 82.5%.

This summer, five players, including Dave Parker and Dick Allen, will be enshrined by the Classic Era Committee.

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