Japanese baseball legend Ichiro's Hall of Fame election signifies a surge of players hailing from the Land of the Rising Sun infiltrating professional baseball.
Ichiro Suzuki, the trailblazing Japanese baseball player, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Ichiro made his Major League debut in 2001 after leaving Japan, where he had already established himself as the best player in the country. He joined the Seattle Mariners, signing a three-year, $14 million contract and making an immediate impact with accolades including AL Rookie of the Year, MVP honors, and multiple All-Star selections.
During his 19-year career in the big leagues, Ichiro earned $167.2 million. His total career hits, including his 1,278 hits in nine seasons playing for the BlueWave in Japan's NPB, amount to 4,367. This places Ichiro 25th on MLB's all-time hits list with 3,089 Major League hits.
Ichiro was the first Japanese player chosen for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on its annual ballot, receiving 393 out of 394 votes. This is a testament to Ichiro's outstanding performance and marketability, which has helped generate significant additional revenue for MLB through expanded international viewership and merchandise sales.
The arrival of non-pitcher Japanese players in MLB was marked by Ichiro, following Hideo Nomo who entered the league in the mid-1990s as a pioneering Japanese pitcher. The Dodgers, like the Yankees, have regularly mined Japan for players, with a current presence in Japan that began under legendary Hall of Fame owner Walter O'Malley in the 1960s.
Another Japanese player with a Hall of Fame-worthy career is Hideki Matsui, nicknamed "Godzilla" for his power. Matsui has a total of 507 homers, with 332 in Japan and 175 in the U.S. However, Matsui received only 0.9% of the vote in his only year on the BBWAA ballot in 2018, and has 10 shots at it in the future.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani, a current Major League player, is likely to join Ichiro in the Hall of Fame in the future. Ohtani began his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels and currently plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a rare two-way player.
This story has been updated from Cooperstown ahead of Ichiro's Hall of Fame induction. The Yankees have a history of signing Japanese players, including Hideki Irabu, Masahiro Tanaka, Hiroki Kuroda, Matsui, and Ichiro. The Seattle Mariners had to pay a $13.1 million posting fee to the Orix BlueWave (now the Orix Buffaloes) in Japan's NPB to obtain Ichiro's rights.
Ichiro's induction into the Hall of Fame is a testament to the success of the Dodgers' approach to the Japanese game and their continued efforts to bring talented Japanese players to the big leagues. It also underscores the profound influence of Japanese players on MLB and its integration of Japanese talent.
Ichiro's exceptional career includes a significant period in Major League Baseball (MLB) where he played baseball, transitioning from Japan's NPB in 2001. His accomplishments with the Seattle Mariners, such as earning AL Rookie of the Year, MVP honors, and multiple All-Star selections, further solidified his position in MLB's history, given his 3,089 Major League hits that placed him 25th on the all-time hits list.
More Japanese talents like Hideki Matsui and Shohei Ohtani, known for their impressive careers and nicknames like "Godzilla" and a two-way player respectively, are also honoring the baseball tradition, potentially following Ichiro into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the future.
