The ever-smiling legend, Ichiro Suzuki, was just inducted into the Japanese Hall of Fame, and his name has also been nominated for the US National Baseball Hall of Fame. However, with the kind of records he holds in the baseball circuit, it was expected that Ichiro would get inducted unanimously, but that didn’t happen. So what’s the big deal here?

It is making a fuss among the fandom because no one expected to vote against the induction of Ichiro in HOF, but he got 323 votes out of a total of 349 votes. So, fans are questioning what could be the reasons for those 26 voters to not vote for Ichiro. With Ichiro spending 9 years with NPB and 18 years with MLB, it is expected that buzz will be there regarding his HOF induction. So, let’s dive into what fans are buzzing about. 

Ichiro Suzuki played in NPB for only 9 seasons before opting for the Mariners in MLB. However, in these 9 years, he made a few remarkable records, like a 200-hit 1994 season for Orix Bluewave. Also, he is the first Japanese position player to be signed with the MLB. So yes, someone of his caliber should have been voted unanimously. The fans are still skeptical about why Ichiro was not able to secure 100% votes. The Reddit post about his HOF induction reflects how the fans are not ready to accept that Ichiro hadn’t been selected unanimously. 

However, Viktor Starffin, who was inducted into the Japanese Hall of Fame in 1960, got 97.3% votes, and this record is unbroken today. He had played on the Japanese circuit throughout his career but was still not able to get unanimous votes. Hence, not voting for Ichiro just for his short NPB career may not be true to a large extent. It might be due to the other nominees that he is not able to secure 100% votes. Well, recognizing the legend is the ultimate goal, which is accomplished, and he is also about to join the US National Baseball Hall of Fame. But will this resonate well with the fans, or if Ichiro Suzuki’s HOF will be considered as a setback only? 

Fans are divided in opinions 

This event of Ichiro Suzuki not getting unanimously selected is giving birth to multiple theories from the fans’ end. The most controversial take is the Japanese media’s begrudging perspective of Ichiro because he chose MLB over NPB. One fan wrote on Reddit, “might be bitter journos for him not playing more in Japan or something.” Well, it is also very much expected that rivalry will be there between two promotions. 

Another user noted, “There is still a stigma in Japan, especially with old people, that view player that leave NPB for MLB very poorly.”. Ichiro got MLB over NPB is shared as the main reason behind his not getting 100% votes. On the other hand, one fan remarked, “His relatively short NPB career may have hurt his vote count a bit, despite being among just a handful of Japanese position players to thrive in MLB.” However, the support for Shohei Ohtani from his Japanese fans post his MLB debut indicates otherwise, and no such stigma against MLB is seen here. Yes, the journalists might be more pro-country in these cases. 

One fan took a unique stance and said, “It’s nice to know Japanese voters are just as petty as MLB voters.” This comment reflects that this scenario applies to American fans as well, where they might be reluctant to accept someone who had played considerably fewer years in MLB. With the fierce competition between the teams, it is very expected that different theories will come up, but that will surely not make Ichiro Suzuki’s HOF induction a setback. 

“The competition here is absurdly stiff, featuring a host of iconic NPB superstars and ex-MLB players,” said another fan in this regard. Quite a rational take on this issue! Yes, apart from Ichiro, NPB legend Hideki Iwase is also inducted but also not able to secure 100% votes. Now, competition may be a factor in dividing the voter counts, and still, Ichiro Suzuki is the sixth-ranked HOF inductee in terms of votes received. Now, that’s the beauty of baseball fans, who can be very vocal about various events and also show their level of involvement in the game.

Nevertheless, the 10-time all-star Ichiro will always be one of the most influential and popular international players ever played in baseball. Boasting ten-time Golden Glove awards and three-time Silver Slugger awards is no ordinary stuff and reflects his legendary performance. Now, his HOF induction is only acknowledging his greatness. So, what is your opinion about Ichiro not securing 100% votes? Let us know in the comments below.