After a near unanimous vote (only one sportswriter did not vote for him) for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Ichiro Suzuki will be the only player in The Hall that was born in Japan.
Known by just one name, Ichiro, when he is inducted this summer, much more than his bust will be a part of the exhibits on display.
According to Jeff Idelson who recently appeared on the podcast “Refuse to Lose”, the former Seattle Mariners star plans to donate his entire collection of baseball artifacts to the Hall of Fame!
Very protective of his gear, when the Hall of Fame requested the bat Ichiro used in his 2001 rookie year that he used to set a record for the most hits by a rookie; but Ichiro refused and instead sent a different bat. The Hall of Fame will now get the original bat.
Upon visiting the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, Ichiro had a change of heart and told Idelson then the head of the museum, “ Will never not give you what you ask for again, because I see how the Hall of Fame treats equipment. You have my word going forward anything you ever asked for, I will be honored to donate to the Hall of Fame.”
Ichiro follows Hank Aaron and Tom Seaver in making such a donation.
True to his word, the Baseball Hall of Fame already has a number of items from Ichiro; some of which will be on display during the upcoming Hall of Fame induction this summer.
Ichiro will join CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dick Allen, and Dave Parker as the 2025 class to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27 in Cooperstown.