Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025

(L-R) CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner. Credit: Getty Images
CC Sabathia was a workhorse, a Yankee favorite, and a master of reinvention. Billy Wagner was the embodiment of a firethrowing reliever, who just managed the most clutch save of his career. And Ichiro Suzuki was simply Ichiro – an international icon, a master of his craft, and a trailblazer who altered the game of baseball.
Baseball’s Hall of Fame introduced those three men to the brotherhood Tuesday evening, all of them former Mets and Yankees, though Suzuki, of course, is best known for his time on the Mariners. Suzuki and Sabathia punched their tickets to Cooperstown on the first try, but it was Wagner’s induction that proved to be the most emotional. In his 10th and final year on the ballot, Wagner, who was the Mets’ closer for 3 ½ seasons, broke into heaving sobs, doubling over as his wife supported him nearby. He is the first left-handed reliever to make the hall.
“There were times when I was very optimistic,” Wagner said. “It’s not been an easy 10 years to sit here and swallow a lot of the things that I had to swallow…For me, I’m happy that it’s over.”
Undersized, coming from a working-class family and the product of a Division III baseball program (Ferrum College in Virginia), Wagner said that his induction gave him “the ability to have someone to look up to and say it’s possible, coming from a blue-collar background…
VOTE TOTALS
Player Votes Pct.
Ichiro Suzuki 393 99.7
CC Sabathia 342 86.8
Billy Wagner 325 82.5
Carlos Beltrán 277 70.3
Andruw Jones 261 66.2
Chase Utley 157 39.8
Álex Rodríguez 146 37.1
Manny Ramírez 135 34.3
Andy Pettitte 110 27.9
Félix Hernández 81 20.6
Bobby Abreu 77 19.5
Jimmy Rollins 71 18.0
Omar Vizquel 70 17.8
Dustin Pedroia 47 11.9
Mark Buehrle 45 11.4
Francisco Rodríguez 40 10.2
David Wright 32 8.1
Torii Hunter 20 5.1
Ian Kinsler 10 2.5
Russell Martin 9 2.3
Brian McCann 7 1.8
Troy Tulowitzki 4 1.0
Curtis Granderson 3 0.8
Adam Jones 3 0.8
Carlos González 2 0.5
Hanley Ramírez 0, Fernando Rodney 0, Ben Zobrist 0
75% needed for induction; 5% needed to stay on ballot
“It meant a lot for me to be able to get in for the ability for other kids to say that it’s possible…It’s not going to be easy, but it’s possible.”
Suzuki missed unanimous induction by a single vote. Only one player has been inducted unanimously – Mariano Rivera in 2019 – and no position player has ever earned the honor, with Derek Jeter also coming one vote shy. Hall of Famers need to earn 75% of the vote from qualified members of the Baseball Writers Association of America to gain induction, and those on the ballot need to receive 5% of the vote to stay on.
However, three big names were shut out again: Carlos Beltran was unable to shake off the black mark left by the Astros sign-stealing scandal in his third year of eligibility – though he did make progress from last year, jumping from 57.1% to 70.3%. Marked by the blight of steroid use, Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez again failed to get close to the 75% necessary for induction, at 34.3% and 37.1%, respectively.
Suzuki breezed in on the back of an iconic American baseball career that began in 2001 when he joined the Mariners from Nippon Professional Baseball, tallying 10 straight 200-hit seasons. He was the first Japanese position player to successfully make the move to MLB, and his talent, legendary bat-to-ball skills, slight frame and iconic defense immediately made him an international phenomenon.
He slashed .311/.355/.402 in his 19-season MLB career and amassed 3,089 hits — and that’s not counting what he did in Japan. His 4,367 career hits in MLB and NPB exceed even Pete Rose’s 4,265. The 10-time All Star spent the majority of his career with the Mariners but did have a three-year foray with the Yankees. He was the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2001, a 10-time Gold Glover, a three-time Silver Slugger and a two-time batting champion, who also holds the major-league record for hits in a season with 262.
“I was told there could be a call from this time to time and when that time came, and it passed 15 minutes I actually started getting nervous,” said Suzuki via interpreter in a conference call with reporters. “I was actually relieved when I got the call…Later, I’ll be able to think back and a lot of emotions will probably come back.”
Sabathia, too, had a relatively seamless road to Cooperstown, coming in with 86.8% of the vote. The former Yankee enters the Hall of Fame as potentially one of the last of a dying breed: The type of pitcher who has the traditional statistical hallmarks that are becoming extinct as teams rely more on their bullpens.
The power lefty was a six-time All-Star, a Cy Young Award winner and totaled 3,093 strikeouts over 3,577 1/3 innings. He’s only the third lefty to amass more than 3,000 strikeouts. He had 251 wins and a 116 ERA+ over his 19-year career, and rebranded himself to become more of a finesse pitcher once age took away the velocity that made him so dominant early on. He was, too, the heartbeat of many Yankees teams, taking on positions of leadership and mentorship in the clubhouse where he spent 11 seasons. He was a workhorse, making 30 starts or more in 12 seasons.
Sabathia led the league in wins in 2009 and 2010, and was named the 2009 ALCS MVP — a series in which he pitched twice, once on three days’ rest, and went 2-0 for the Yankees, allowing two earned runs over 16 innings. That year also marked his sole World Series championship. He confirmed in a zoom conference that he intends to wear a Yankees cap into Cooperstown.
"The Yankees was the place that wanted me,” Sabathia said. “I've been here now 16 years. I love the other organizations...but this is home. I found a home in The Bronx and I don't think I'll ever leave this city, so I think it’s only fitting.”
He added that he almost retired after losing to the Astros in the 2017 World Series, but was persuaded to extend his career two more seasons – something that likely sealed his spot in the Hall of Fame.
“I was done,” he said. “I was over it. I was ready to retire. And I get a call from [retired infielder] Harold Reynolds and he started telling me all these numbers, all these different numbers and how close I am to 3,000 strikeouts and how close I was to 250 wins and how all these guys that had those numbers were in the Hall of Fame, so I have to give Harold a lot of credit because not until he called me to tell me those numbers and how close I was did I even contemplate Cooperstown.”
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement that he was “thrilled to see CC Sabathia receiving baseball’s ultimate individual honor, not only because of his elite performance on the mound, but for what he meant to his teammates and our fans. Throughout his time in pinstripes, he embodied the best of what it means to be a Yankee."
After 10 agonizing years, Wagner finally moved the needle with this year’s voters. After missing the Hall of Fame by just five votes last year, the closer very aptly saved the best for last, coming in with 82.5% of the electorate.
Wagner joins the very small contingent of career relievers in Cooperstown — of the 89 pitchers in the Hall of Fame, only seven are career relievers (there are two more that became relievers, Dennis Eckersley and John Smoltz). Wagner's 2.31 ERA is better than any career reliever enshrined not named Mariano Rivera.
Wagner, a natural righthander who learned to throw lefty when he broke his arm twice by age 7, was often untouchable, routinely hitting triple digits and striking out 33.2% of the batters he faced — the highest percentage of any pitcher who has thrown more than 900 innings. The wiry lefty is a seven-time All-Star, who began his career with the Astros and pitched four seasons with the Mets, held opponents to a .187 batting average and carried a 0.998 WHIP. His 422 saves are eighth all-time.
“Congratulations to Billy Wagner on baseball’s highest honor,” Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement. “He was a two-time All-Star during his four seasons in Queens and earned his 300th career save in a Mets uniform. Billy was one of the game’s [dominant] closers and will now be forever enshrined in the Hall of Fame.”
Former Mets great David Wright received 8.1% of the vote to remain on the ballot.
How Newsday's eight eligible Hall of Fame voters filled out their ballots
Laura Albanese (6 selections): Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Chase Utley, Billy Wagner
Erik Boland (10): Bobby Abreu, Carlos Beltran, Felix Hernandez, Andruw Jones, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Chase Utley, Billy Wagner
Brian Heyman (3): CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Billy Wagner
David Lennon (7): Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Chase Utley, Billy Wagner
Steve Popper (6): Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Chase Utley, Billy Wagner
Anthony Rieber (7): Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, Andy Pettitte, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki
Roger Rubin (5): Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Billy Wagner
Hank Winnicki (2): CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki
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