Suzuki became the first Japanese player chosen for the Hall, falling one vote shy of unanimous when he was elected along with CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.

Ichiro will join Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Jackie Robinson as the only jerseys retired by the Mariners.

Former Milwaukee Brewers left-handed pitcher CC Sabathia was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame Monday, receiving 86.8% of the vote in his first year on the ballot. Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner were also voted in.

Ichiro will join fellow Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, and Jackie Robinson as the only players to have their uniform number retired by the M's.

Given my track record of failed prognostications, I’m loathe to make predictions. I’ve occasionally joked to readers that my picks should come with one of those surgeon general warnings.

Used to leading off, Ichiro Suzuki got antsy when he had to wait. Considered a no-doubt pick for baseball’s Hall of Fame and possibly the second unanimous selection, he waited by the phone

Sabathia and Suzuki were elected in their first appearance on the ballot, while Wagner made it on his 10th and final try. The trio will be inducted into the Hall at Cooperstown on July 27 along with Dave Parker and Dick Allen, voted in last month by the classic era committee.

Suzuki, who had already donated a bat from his MVP and Rookie of the Year campaign during the season, wanted to check out the hallowed site reserved for baseball’s greatest players and was completely mesmerized by the history of his surroundings.

A leadoff hitter, an ace starter and a lockdown closer walk into a Hall … It’s no joke. The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 is complete after Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner

Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese player chosen for baseball’s Hall of Fame, falling one vote shy of unanimous when he was elected along with CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.

Used to leading off, Ichiro Suzuki got antsy when he had to wait. Considered a no-doubt pick for baseball’s Hall of Fame and possibly the second unanimous selection, he waited by the phone for the expected call Tuesday.

For Ichiro Suzuki, whose baseball career defied convention and shattered records, his induction into the Hall of Fame has long felt less like a crowning achievement and more like an inevitable conclusion to one of the sport’s most remarkable journeys.