Kon’nichiwa, Cooperstown!

It’s one thing when the fans of a particular player or team make the trek to Cooperstown for the Induction of their favorites into baseball’s hallowed Hall of Fame, but when an entire country of nearly 125 million collectively stand and cheer their native son, the first member of the Hall of Fame from Japan – hoo, boy – that’s an entirely other matter.

The quaint village of Cooperstown, New York - home to less than 2,000 residents – welcomed with open arms thousands upon thousands of fans of the five newest inductees at this weekend’s celebration – CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dave Parker, Richie Allen, and the Yakyu “hero” from two nations, America and Japan – Ichiro Suzuki.

“Yakyu” is the Japanese word for baseball, and the title of a new exhibit in the Museum: “Yakyu/Baseball: The Transpacific Exhange of the Game,” which opened just a couple of days before the Induction Ceremony. In it, you’ll find artifacts and a detailed history of how Japan adopted the American game, beginning in the 1800s.

Of course, Ichiro and Shoehei Ohtani are prominently featured, as well as a very ornate Samurai Warrior outfit, and uniforms and artifacts from when many US ballplayers enjoyed exhibition tours, including Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Jack Morris, Cal Ripken, Jr., Dave Roberts, (who was born in Okinawa), and many others.

The NY Mets took a postseason tour of Japan after the 1974 season. Led by skipper Yogi Berra, they played 18 games either against the renowned Yomiuri Giants or a collection of Japanese All-Stars. Officially, they

concluded what was known as The Goodwill Series with three wins, six losses, and two ties.

I know. That doesn’t add up to 18, but these were exhibitions, not a World Series. Prior to a couple of the contests, Hank Aaron engaged in a sort of Home Run Derby with famed Japanese slugger Saddaharu Oh. Mets coach Joe Pignatano threw to Aaron. Aaron won the first Swing-Off 10-9.

Tom Seaver started three games for the Mets during the tour. Joe Torre experienced his first games as a Met, having been traded to New York after the ’73 season.

One artifact in the Yakyu exhibit was particularly poignant, a handmade wooden home plate. It was found on an Indian Reservation out West, but was used by Japanese-Americans when they were forced to live in internment camps during World War II. They still found time to play baseball while living out an odd “prison” sentence during the war.

Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine is recognized for his contributions to Japanese baseball when he introduced American innovations during his years managing in the NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball). Valentine introduced fun promotions such as kids-running-the-bases and autograph sessions, events the Japanese had never considered. Valentine is even credited with doubling the attendance for his Chiba Lotte Marines.

The former Mets manager also lent a hand in determining the extent of the exhibit with his knowledge of both versions of the sport. He was also present at the unveiling and during Induction Weekend, and was delighted when he could converse with his Japanese fans in their native language.

For more info and details regarding this exhibit, search:

baseballhall.org/yakyu.

Of course, Ichiro is well-deserving of his newest honor, although he did express a slightly embarrassed view of his exhibit, a life-size mannequin dressed in his actual uniform.

“I just wish they had asked me about my personal display,” Ichiro noted during a press conference prior to the Induction.

“Definitely an honor to have Japanese baseball (represented) here,” he added.

Interestingly, this was far from the first time Ichiro visited the Hall of Fame. He made the journey to upstate New York after almost every season he was in the majors. He considered it an honor and stated he came “with a purpose.”

The purpose was “like a reset button” Ichiro stated through his interpreter. “During the season, there’s a lot of ups and downs, a lot of different emotions. Coming to Cooperstown was to cleanse myself, to have a great feeling about myself. As a baseball player, you need certain feelings, and coming here was to get those feelings back.”

The proficient hitter played 19 years in the bigs for three teams, the Mariners, Yankees, and Marlins, and this was after already excelling in nine seasons in the Japan Pacific League with the Orix Blue Wave.

He became just the second player in major league history to debut as a Rookie of the Year and win the MVP in 2001 with Seattle.

Mariner and Blue Wave fans dominated the streets of Cooperstown by the quantity of jerseys and other apparel bearing his number 51 as they explored the Hall of Fame and the many souvenir shops in town.

Ichiro’s virtually unparalleled stat sheet includes: 10 Gold Gloves, 10 All Star Games, 10 straight 200-hit seasons, two batting titles, three Silver Sluggers, over 3,000 hits (3,089), and if you add his NPB and MLB hit totals, he’s in Pete Rose and Ty Cobb territory with 4,367 hits. Wow!

So why, then, did a supposed baseball expert leave him off their Hall of Fame ballot this year? A total of 400 ballots were sent out this year to the baseball writers. Six chose not to turn in their ballot (another reason their BBWAA license should be questioned), and of the 394 ballots that were submitted, one left Suzuki off their check marks. Some people!

Ichiro was not the first Japanese-born ballplayer in the MLB. Let’s give a shout- out to Masanori Murakami, who pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 1964 and ’65. He was the first. Murakami went 5-1 in 54 games for the Giants at old Candlestick Park, with 100 strikeouts in 89.1 innings, nine Saves, and .998 WHIP, .343 ERA. He returned to the NPB for the ’66 season or we might not have waited another 50 years or so for the first Japanese ballplayer to reach the Hall of Fame.

CC Sabathia was named on 86.8% of the ballots received, and his credentials are quite impressive as well.

The big lefty (6’6”, 300 lbs) pitched in 19 seasons for the Indians, Brewers, and Yankees, and is one of five pitchers ever to finish with at least 250 wins (251-161 won-loss record), and over 3,000 strikeouts (3,093).

He is now known as a Black Ace, an African-American pitcher to have won at least 20 games in one season, joining members in this exclusive club such as Fergie Jenkins, Jim “Mudcat” Grant, Bob Gibson, Dave Stewart, Dwight Gooden, Al Downing, Vida Blue, and Don Newcombe (the first Black Ace). All in all, there now 15 Black Aces.

Sabathia earned Cy Young honors in 2007, and the six-time All-Star finished in the Top 5 in Cy Young voting five times.

The Sabathia family had a memorable journey getting to Cooperstown. They caravaned two vehicles from their home in Alpine, New Jersey, but 45 minutes out, one car broke down at a pit stop. CC had to go all the way back home and replace it with another car to complete the trip. Suzuki and Sabathia are now two of just 62 Hall of Famers who were inducted in their first year of eligibility.

“Ichy” and myself came into the game the same year (2001),” CC commented before the big event. “And I always say he stole my Rookie of the Year Award,” the affable lefthander said with that big smile on his face.

It’s well known that Sabathia was reluctant to come to New York when he became a free agent after the 2008 season with Milwaukee. Hailing from Vallejo in Northern California, he was hoping for an offer from a West Coast club, specifically the Dodgers.

“First day of free agency, the Yankees offered me a contract, and I tried to ignore it. But my wife said you need to go where they want you. Go where they try to win every year.” Of course, he’s now delighted with that decision, and has been a New Jersey resident ever since. Some of those Jersey friends and neighbors were invited by CC to enjoy the weekend with him. He didn’t have a complete head count, but he did admit to “over 300.” And one of those friends was boxing great Mike Tyson. Sabathia considered retirement after the 2017 season, but a phone call from former infielder and current MLB Network host Harold Reynolds changed that course.

Reynolds stressed to CC that he was close to 250 wins and 3,000 strikeouts, and if he hit those numbers, he’d be in the Hall of Fame conversation as a Black Ace.

“I probably wouldn’t be here today if Harold didn’t call me that offseason,” admitted Sabathia.

Billy Wagner saved 422 games for five teams during his 16-year career with the Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox, and Braves. He finished with the second-highest save total by a lefthander in MLB history.

Do you know who has the highest save total for a lefthander in MLB history? That’s right, it’s New York native Johnny Franco, with 424, with 276 of those saves on behalf of the NY Mets!

Do you hear that, Cooperstown? Time to open the doors for another southpaw closer, isn’t it?

Wagner had 101 of those 422 saves as a Met during his nearly four years .with the club, from 2006-09. But his plaque was also earned with the lowest WHIP (.998) among all retired pitchers with at least 700 innings, and among other things, the highest single-season strikeout-per-nine-innings ratio among relievers in 1999 (14.95).

From the farmlands of Southwest Virginia, Wagner made a culture shock decision to pitch in the Big Apple in 1996. “I joined the Mets because going to New York would be one way to get to the Hall of Fame” Wagner stated. “And it wasn’t easy when you have the greatest closer across town (Mariano Rivera with the Yankees). I also knew, coming from a small town in Virginia, the environment was going to be difficult.” The little lefty (5’10”, 180 lb), was a natural righthander until a boyhood accident forced him to throw lefthanded. (And as we learned during the HOF Golf Tourney, he still swings those clubs righthhanded.) The seven time All Star won the 1999 NL Rolaids Relief Award, and closed out the Astros no-hitter vs. the Yankees in 2003 that saw six Astros take the mound.

“It was unbelievable. Yankee Stadium. Babe Ruth, and all the greats that have been there. From the seventh on, there was no chance they were going to do anything. None.”

“Wags”, was named on 82.5% of ballots, when 75% is the criteria, and became the eighth player to be elected in his tenth and final year of eligibility, joining such notables with last-minute elections as: Ralph Kiner (1975), Jim Rice (2009), Tim Raines (2017), Edgar Martinez (2019), and Larry Walker (2020).

Dave Parker was one of the most feared sluggers in all of baseball during his 19-year career with Pirates, Reds, Athletics, Brewers, Angels, and Blue Jays. His totals placed him as just one of five players ever with 500 doubles, 300 home runs (339), 150 steals, and at least 2,700 hits (2,712).

Known as “The Cobra,” with lightning-strike abilities, Parker was a seven time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove recipient, a two-time NL batting champ,

the NL MVP in 1978, the All-Star Game MVP in 1979, and a two-time winner of the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award in 1989 and 1990.

Unfortunately, Parker succumbed to Parkinsons Disease just one month before his Induction, on June 28, 2025, at the age of 74. But he died knowing he was a Hall of Famer.

David Parker II was on hand to accept the honor on behalf of his father. “As long as he’s there, that would put a smile on his face,” said Junior.

Also honored posthumously was another all-time slugger, Richie Allen. The 1964 Rookie of the Year played for five teams in 15 seasons – the Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox, and Athletics. The seven-time All Star was the AL MVP in 1972 with the White Sox, leading the American League in home runs (37), RBI (113), walks (99), on base percentage (.420), and slugging percentage (.603). He led his league in slugging percentage three times, extra-base hits three times, on-base percentage twice, home runs twice, and was one of only four players with an OPS of at least .900 during his career (1963-77).

Allen died in 2020 at the age of 78, due to cancer. His widow, Willa Allen, gave the acceptance speech.

In case you were wondering, with so many new Inductees having played for so many teams, who gets to choose which team’s logo is sculpted onto their bronze plaques for eternity. Years ago, each player had more of a say in the matter, and many had obvious options. But for the past two decades or so, the choice has been a Hall of Fame selection, who ask the players for preferences, but ultimately make the call.

Ichiro was bronzed as a Mariner, Sabathia with the Yankees, Wagner will forever wear the Astros star, Parker’s locked in as a Pirate, and Allen with the Phillies.

The Class of ’25 brings the total of Hall of Famers with plaques on the wall to 351.

The BBWAA have elected 142 players, while various Veterans

Committees have added 183 candidates, among them 40 executives and pioneers, 23 managers, 10 umpires, and players from the Negro Leagues.

Over 50 of those 351 came back to welcome the five “rookies” to their unique fraternity. They still enjoy the camaraderie, the challenge of a Saturday Hall of Famers-only Golf Tournament, and the chances to share those on-and-off field stories that made the game as much fun for them as it was for the opportunities to win a ring.

Johnny Bench makes it a point each year to demand that the rookies join him in a quiet stop-and-smell-the-roses moment he shares with each of the new Inductees at the historic Otesaga Hotel that sits on the lake just a few blocks from the museum.

There’s a famous veranda at the back of the large, stately hotel that faces the lake, The Otesaga. The veranda is filled with wooden rocking chairs offering comfy solitude. Bench tells them to sit their asses down on those rocking chairs and just let the moment sink in.

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when all of those great Hall of Famers were in those rocking chairs in the last 60 years or so. From DiMaggio and Williams, and Aaron, and Mays, and Koufax, and Seaver, and Kiner, to all the new guys, they’ve all been on that veranda.

The Induction Ceremony itself is a sort of Baseball Woodstock, a free event held on the grounds adjacent to the town’s Clark Sports Center on the edge of the village. And just like Woodstock some 56 years ago, it rained on the morning of the Induction, delaying the ceremony and muddying up parts of the field.

That did not prevent a good crowd from attending the ceremony. Officials estimate the attendance at 30,000-plus. Not a record – the 2007 attendance, which featured the Induction of Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn, Jr. drew the most, pegged at 82,000 – but still a solid turnout.

While the ceremony was delayed an hour to accommodate the foreboding weather, Mother Nature was a baseball fan that afternoon and it never did rain with any ferocity the rest of the day, just a brief sprinkle.

Wagner was in the leadoff spot. For a guy who never started a game in his career, he was glad to be the first man up. “Everybody wanted that spot,” he noted after the event. “Fireballing lefty closer” is how his HOF plaque reads.

He opened his acceptance speech with “What a humbling moment. To be standing in front of heroes…it’s nerve-wracking.”

Recognizing some of the greats of the game on the stage behind him, “Here today, I feel like my life has come full circle. Every Saturday morning, I used to watch Johnny Bench on The Baseball Bunch. “I’m back to being a fan, but lucky enough to have an inside view of the game.” Of course, he thanked everyone and his family who helped him get to where he stood, and he displayed the passion of his faith. “To my Lord and Savior. Without you, some of this wouldn’t be possible. God is great.” He included a shout-out to Fred and Jeff Wilpon for bringing him to the Mets. “You made it easy to come to the park cause I came in with Tom Glavine. Thank you, guys.” He thanked his coaches for teaching him “winning for our team was more important than winning for yourself.”

And he singled out former Met Moises Alou as “possibly the greatest teammate I had.” Alou was with the Mets in 2007 and ’08. “You showed me how to appreciate Dominican culture,” recalled Wagner. “Sorry I couldn’t speak Spanish, even though I tried.” His overall message was about sticking to your beliefs.

“I wasn’t the biggest. I wasn’t (really) lefthanded. That’s what the game does for you. It teaches you about life. Perseverance isn’t just a trait, it’s a path to greatness.”

In a video clip prior to his acceptance speech, former teammate Derek Jeter gave CC high praise. “He’s a throwback pitcher. He wants to be on the mound no matter how he’s feeling. Facing CC was a challenge. When you’re playing for the New York Yankees, you’re playing for a Championship. He lived up to the hype, and not too many players do that when they come to New York.”

Carsten Charles Sabathia, Jr. was equally respectful of everyone who made it possible for him to be a Hall of Famer in his acceptance speech, including the women in his life. “My mom is the reason I’m a baseball fan.”

His Mom was even his first “catcher.” He could throw to her in the backyard. He first learned pitching, in a way, hurling grapefruits that fell off the tree in his grandmother’s backyard.

His wife of 22 years, Amber, is the rock in his life, and “the only human I can be around every single day.” He acknowledged going to rehab in 2015 to beat an alcohol addiction and he was hopeful he would not be the last Black Ace to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and continues to work toward that goal in national programs.

He was just sitting on the couch that day in January when Amber, not CC, got the call from the Hall. “They knew not to call me. I might not have answered.”

They drove up to Cooperstown the next day. “When we got the news, I was in shock. It’s a long way from Vallejo, California (to get here).” Thank you to the Hall of Fame for making the Sabathias a part of your family.”

Ichiro perhaps surprised everyone by giving his entire acceptance speech in English! He conducted every press conference with his longtime interpreter, Allen Turner, but for his big day, he spoke a very eloquent English.

And he was funny! He began by acknowledging his new status.

“I never thought I would be saying this, but for the third time, I am a rookie!”

Yes, the newest Hall of Famer, and essentially, the 351st Hall of Famer, as he closed the proceedings, was the closer this day.

That’s right. The closer led off, and the leadoff hitter was the closer!

“My goal was always to play at the highest level,” Ichiro stated, noting his longtime desire to become a major league player, and not just in the NPB.

“People often know me by my records – not bad, huh! (you could almost hear the drummer’s rim shot to his punchline), but the truth is without baseball…this guy is such a damn ass!

“Baseball is so much more than hitting, throwing, and running. (Baseball) helped shape my view of life. When fans spend their precious time to come see you play, you have a responsibility to play your best. I felt it was my professional duty to give fans my best each and every day.” To that end, he even perpetuated a habit and made sure his cleats were cleaned and his glove was in proper condition after every game to prevent any mishaps.

“If you consistently do the little things, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.

“As a kid, my dream was always to be a baseball player. I even wrote about it in an essay in school.” He offered up many positive reinforcement beliefs.

“Dreaming is fun, but goals are difficult and challenging. You must see what is possible. I encourage young players to dream, and to dream big, but the difference between dreaming and goals is you must be honest with yourself with what it takes to achieve it.”

He thanked the Yankees and acknowledged, “I know you’re here for CC, and that’s okay. He deserves it.” He gave credos to Derek Jeter for his “great leadership” and complimented the Yankees as a ”proud organization.”

He thanked the last team he played for, the then-Florida Marlins, in an odd way.

“When (you) offered me a contract for 2015, I had never heard of your team.”

Ba-dum-bump! Cue the drummer again. “But I enjoyed my time in South Florida and I will never forget you for allowing me to reach 3,000 hits as a Marlin.”

Ichiro was also loving of his wife, Yumiko, a former TBS-TV announcer.

“She never made me feel doubt, always encouraging me. She made sure our home was always consistent. She’s the most consistent teammate I ever had.”

After he retired, they had a Date Night. “We did something I never could as a player. We sat in the stands and watched the game and had hot dogs.”

The enormity of the moment was well-received.

“I didn’t even know there was a baseball Hall of Fame before visiting it in 2001. Being here is a fantastic dream. Thank you.”

In a separate event held the day before the official Induction, longtime baseball beat writer Thomas Boswell was honored with the Career Excellence Award in sportswriting. Boswell was at the Washington Post for 52 years, and there’s a good chance you have a Boswell-authored book on baseball on your bookshelves. Among them were highly praised works such as “Why Time Begins on Opening Day,” and “How Life Imitates the World Series.”

Also feted was longtime voice of the Cleveland Indians/Guardians Tom Hamilton, who accepted the Ford C. Frick Award for Broadcast Excellence. Hamilton is the only broadcaster to have called three different Cleveland World Series seasons, including the 2016 American League pennant winners.

The Museum, by the way, nearly set a personal best the day before the Induction, hosting close to 6,000 visitors – and it wasn’t even open the entire day, as it closed at 5:00 to set up for a Hall of Famers and families party that night. That might sound like wall-to-wall people, but fortunately, the museum is large enough, and the extent of the thousands of artifacts on display are arrayed in such an engaging manner that they can still be viewed at a surprisingly leisurely pace.

For those planning on attending next year’s Induction Ceremony - and if you’re not, what’s the hold up? – is already scheduled for July 26, 2026. Newcomers to the ballot include: Edwin Encarnarcion, Ryan Braun, Cole Hamels, and Matt Kemp.

For more of anything on the Hall of Fame: baseballhall.org.