Ichiro, Sabathia among players up for Hall of Fame election Tuesday
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Ichiro, Sabathia among players up for Hall of Fame election Tuesday

NEW YORK (AP) — Ichiro Suzuki could be the first Japanese player in baseball’s Hall of Fame and CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner and Carlos Beltrán could also be elected on Tuesday when the results of the writers’ vote are announced.

Anyone who receives the 75% required by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will be inducted into the Hall in Cooperstown on July 27 along with Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were voted in last month by the Classic Era Committee.

Suzuki could join Mariano Rivera as the only unanimous selections for Cooperstown. Rivera is the only player to receive 100% of the BBWAA vote, appearing on all 425 ballots in 2019. Derek Jeter was selected 395 of 396 in 2020 and Ken Griffey Jr. at 437 out of 440 in 2016.

Suzuki entered Major League Baseball from Japan as a 27-year-old in 2001 and joined Fred Lynn in 1975 as the only players to win AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP in the same season. A two-time AL batting champion and 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder, he hit .311 with 117 homers, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle (2001-12, 2018-19), New York Yankees (2012 -14) and Miami (2015-17).

He is perhaps the greatest contact hitter in baseball history, with 1,278 hits in Japan’s Nippon Professional baseball and 3,089 in MLB. His combined total of 4,367 is higher than Pete Rose’s MLB record of 4,256. Suzuki had a record 262 hits in 2004.

Sabathia was a six-time All-Star, winning the 2007 AL Cy Young Award and a World Series title in 2009. He went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, third among lefties behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton, over 19 seasons with Cleveland (2001-08), Milwaukee (2008) and New York Yankees (2009-19).

Wagner received 284 votes and 73.8% in the 2024 ballot, five votes short of the 75% needed when third baseman Adrian Beltré, catcher/first baseman Joe Mauer and first baseman Todd Helton was chosen. On the ballot for the 10th and final time, Wagner received 10.5% support in his first appearance in 2016.

Wagner would become the ninth pitcher in the Hall who was primarily a reliever following Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith and Rivera.

A seven-time All-Star, Wagner was 47-40 with a 2.31 ERA and 422 saves for Houston (1995-2003), Philadelphia (2004-05), New York Mets (2006-09), Boston (2009) and Atlanta (2010). His 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings are the most among pitchers with at least 900 innings pitched.

Beltrán received 46.5% in 2023 on his first ballot and 57.1% last year. A nine-time All-Star, he had a .279 batting average, 435 home runs, 1,587 RBI and 312 stolen bases for Kansas City (1998-2004), Houston (2004, ’17), Mets (2005-11), San Francisco (2011), St. Louis (2012-13), Yankees (2014-16) and Texas (2016).

It was him hired as Mets manager on November 1, 2019then was dismissed the following 16 Jan without completing a game, three days after he was the only Astros player mentioned by name in a report by MLB regarding the team’s illegal use of electronics to steal signs during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series.

Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramírez have lagged behind in the voting, hurt by suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs. Rodriguez had 34.8% last year in his third appearance and Ramírez 32.5% in his eighth.

Other holdings include Andruw Jones, Chase Utley, Omar Vizquel, Jimmy Rollins, Bobby Abreu, Andy Pettitte, Mark Buehrle, Francisco Rodríguez, Torii Hunter and David Wright.

Pitcher Félix Hernández, outfielder Carlos González and infielders Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramírez were among the newcomers who were joined by reliever Fernando Rodney, second baseman Ian Kinsler, second baseman/outfielder Ben Zobrist, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, catchers Russell Martin and Brian McCann, and outfielders Curtis. Granderson and Adam Jones.

Players who joined the 2026 ballot include Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp.

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