There is always one.
That was the case on Monday, when Ichiro Suzuki was just one vote away from becoming the second player to be unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame.
Ichiro received 393 of the 394 votes cast by longtime baseball writers. Mariano Rivera remains the only unanimous vote-getter, accomplishing the feat in 2019.
Of course, Ichiro undoubtedly belongs in Cooperstown with over 3,000 hits and 10 Gold Gloves in his prestigious career. It was always a guarantee that he would be in, but it was a question of whether he got 100% of the vote.
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Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees and Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners pose before the MLB All Star Game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. (Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
When it was revealed that only one person did not vote for him, the celebration quickly turned to anger on social media.
Five years ago, Derek Jeter was also one vote short of unanimity. At the time, in typical Jeter fashion, he took the high road and said it was difficult to get everyone to agree on anything. During his inauguration ceremony, he took a shot at the lone voter who did not check his name on his ballot.
But with Ichiro’s rejection, Jeter said the voters should be held accountable for their actions.
“A lot of players have been incredible who are in the Hall of Fame and didn’t get 100% of the vote. I never expected that and I would never sit here and say everybody should have voted for me or everybody should have voted for me. voted for Ichiro,” Jeter told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview.
“The only thing that I think is fair is that I think a lot of members of the media want athletes to be responsible and accountable; I think they should do the same. I get asked this question, I get tired of being asked this. question and I think they should answer it.”
Former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki throws a ball to the dugout before throwing out the first pitch for a game against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park. (Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)
Jeter had plenty of success on the diamond, and he hopes to have more of it this weekend in Miami as captain of the Padel’s Reserve Cup alongside Andrew Schulz and Jimmy Butler.
“It’s a fun sport to watch. I’d never seen actual live, professional padel before. And it’s pretty fun to watch all the athleticism,” Jeter said. “It’s good to see people active. I haven’t been very active since I retired. I’ve slowed down my physical activity. It’s fun to see the sport grow. I know it’s huge internationally, Wayne [Boich] had a vision to grow it here in the United States, and he really deserves a lot of credit.”
Ichiro joined the majors in 2001 as a highly touted Japanese prospect, hitting .353 during his nine seasons in his home country, winning three MVPs and being a seven-time All-Star. When he joined the Mariners at age 28, he immediately lived up to the hype, winning AL MVP and helping that year’s Mariners team to a record 116 wins.
American League All-Stars Vladimir Guerrero, left, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki stand at attention during the national anthem before the 78th Major League Baseball All-Star Game at AT&T Park on July 10, 2007 in San Francisco. (Greg Trott/Getty Images)
From 2001 to 2010, Ichiro was named an All-Star in every season, while also winning a Gold Glove Award each year. In that span, he won three Silver Slugger Awards and two batting titles while posting a .331 average and .806 OPS. In 2004, he set the all-time single-season record with 262 hits and is the only player in MLB history to record 10 straight 200-plus hit seasons. He also stole over 500 bases and is one of just seven players to record 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases.
After just his 11th MLB game, his career batting average never dipped below .300 again. He retired with a .311 average, 3,089 hits and a 60.0 WAR. In the live ball era (since 1920), he is one of only 21 players with at least 10 seasons of hitting .300 (among qualified hitters) and only one of seven to do so 10 consecutive years. Ichiro spent the majority of his career with the Mariners, with stops with the Yankees and Marlins.
Shortstop Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees talks with right fielder Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners during Game 4 of the ALCS on October 21, 2001 at Yankee Stadium. (M. David Leeds/Getty Images)
Ichiro and Jeter played together from 2012 to 2014.
