Baseball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2025
The Baseball Writers Association of America has spoken for the 86th time since first voting in new members into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.
Headlining their selections are Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki, New York Yankees icon CC Sabathia, and former Houston Astros closer Billy Wagner to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
While one vote shy of a unanimous decision, Suzuki is particularly notable for being the first player born in Japan to be elected into the Hall of Fame. Signed in 2001, Suzuki won the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year, which had not been done since Fred Lynn did so with the Boston Red Sox in 1975.
In 2004, Suzuki broke George Sisler’s single-season hit record with 262 and ended his career with 3,089 hits and a .311 batting average.
Sabathia, the 20th overall pick in the 1998 Draft by the Cleveland Indians, played 19 seasons from 2001 to 2019, winning the American League Cy Young Award in 2007.
Sabathia also led the Milwaukee Brewers to their first postseason since 1982 after a 2008 trade. He proceeded to play his final 11 seasons with the Yankees, being named the 2009 American League Championship Series MVP and winning the 2009 World Series.
In his career, Sabathia struck out 3,093 batters and won 251 of his 560 Major League starts.
Wagner, who was voted in on his 10th and final ballot, was drafted 12th overall in 1993 out of Ferrum College in Virginia by the Astros. He was a seven-time All-Star and the National League Reliever of the Year in 1999. In his career, Wagner had 422 saves and struck out 1,196 batters throughout a 16-season MLB career from 1995 to 2010.
The other two players elected were Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were previously voted in by the 16-member Veterans Committee.
