Watch the induction ceremony live on MLB Network: Sunday, July 27th, 1:30 p.m. ET.
This summer, Major League Baseball will induct five players into the Hall of Fame. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America voted in three from a list of eligible former players: Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner. The other two going into the Hall, Dave Parker and Dick Allen, were selected for enshrinement by the Classic Era Baseball Committee. Here are some interesting facts about each player and a look at what each player contributed to the game to earn himself a place in Cooperstown.
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Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners. Born Oct. 22, 1973, Nishi Kasugai-gun, Japan.
He is the first Asian-born ballplayer to be enshrined in the MLB Hall of Fame. He played for three teams: Mariners (twice), Marlins and Yankees. He debuted in 2001 and last played in 2019. He’s entering the Hall of Fame as a member of the Mariners in his first year of eligibility.
- The only player whose first name was on his jersey, a tradition that began when he played in Japan. He is known primarily as Ichiro by the baseball world. He didn’t make his debut in the Majors with the Seattle Mariners until he was 27 years old.
- In his very first season, he led the Majors in hits (242), stolen bases (56) and batting average (.350).
- Also in his debut season, he was named Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player, becoming only the second player in history to achieve that distinction.
- In the summer of 2012, after asking to be traded from the Mariners, Ichiro joined the New York Yankees. His first game as a Yankee was against the Mariners; he simply had to move his gear to the visitors’ dugout.
- In 2004, set the all-time mark for hits in a season with 262, passing George Sisler’s 257 (St. Louis Browns, 1920). Also led the League in average that year, hitting .372.
- Collected more than 200 hits each of his first 10 seasons, leading the Majors seven times and setting the MLB record for consecutive seasons.
Cool fact to know. If you add his hits from Japan (Nippon Professional Baseball) with his MLB total, you get 4,367—more than any other professional player.
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CC Sabathia, New York Yankees. Born July 21, 1980, Vallejo, California.
The “CC” stands for Carsten Charles. He played for three teams: Indians, Brewers and Yankees. He debuted in 2001 and last played in 2019. He’s entering the Hall of Fame as a member of the Yankees in his first year of eligibility.
- A genuine workhorse, pitched 200 or more innings in eight seasons, and pitched 190–199 innings three times, averaging more than 200 innings pitched per season for his 19-year career.
- With 3,093 strikeouts, ranks 16th all-time and became just the third left-handed hurler to reach 3,000.
- One of five pitchers with at least 250 wins, more than 3,000 strikeouts and a winning percentage of at least .600.
- Led the Majors in wins twice, back to back in 2009 and ’10 with the Yankees. He was part of the last Yankees team to win a World Series title, in 2009.
- Led the AL in shutouts twice in 2006 and ’08. He led both the National League and the American League in shutouts in the same season: 2008 (Indians and Brewers).
- Wrapped up his career with a 251-161 record and six All-Star Game selections. He was an Opening Day starter 11 times.
Cool fact to know. Sabathia came into the Majors with the Cleveland Indians in 2001, the same year as Ichiro Suzuki. He played 19 seasons with three teams, just like Ichiro. In Sabathia’s debut season, he came in second in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Ichiro.
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Billy Wagner, Houston Astros. Born July 25, 1971, Marion, Virginia.
William Edgar Wagner, “Billy the Kid,” is the only member of the MLB Hall of Fame to come to the Majors from a Division III college. He played for five teams: Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves. He debuted in 1995 and last played in 2010. He’s entering the Hall of Fame as a member of the Houston Astros in his tenth and last year of eligibility.
- A seven-time All-Star who pitched for 16 seasons.
- Joins a group of seven other relief pitchers in the Hall of Fame and is the first left-hander to be voted into the Hall of Fame as a reliever.
- Has the highest strikeout rate (K/9) of 11.92 among all pitchers with a minimum of 900 innings pitched, as well as the lowest opponent batting average.
- Had the highest rate K/9 all-time among pitchers who’ve pitched at least 900 innings. (By comparison, Nolan Ryan’s lifetime K/9 was 9.55.)
- Among all relievers, just the fourth to record more than 400 saves and more than 1,000 strikeouts.
- Wagner’s lifetime ERA was 2.31, and his career ERA+ was 187.* In the Live Ball Era, he is second only to Mariano Rivera in that category.†
Cool fact to know. Wagner was not naturally left-handed. After breaking his right arm twice when he was young, he started throwing left-handed.
*ERA+ is a number that adjusts a pitcher’s actual Earned Run Average (ERA) by factoring in various stats, such as specific ballparks and baseballs’ offensive output during the time the pitcher played.
†The Live Ball Era refers to MLB after 1920, when rule changes caused a dramatic rise in offensive statistics.
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Dick Allen, Philadelphia Phillies. Born March 8, 1942, Wampum, Pennsylvania.
v had impressive power numbers in his era. He played for five teams: Phillies (twice), Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox and the A’s. He debuted in 1963 and last played in 1977. He’s entering the Hall of Fame as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, voted in by the Classic Era Baseball Committee. The Phillies retired his number in September 2020. He passed away on December 7th of that year.
- NL Rookie of the Year in 1964, his first full season, during which he batted .318 and led the Majors in triples and runs scored.
- 1972 was an MVP year for Allen with the White Sox: He led the American League in home runs (37), RBIs (113), slugging percentage, and batted .308, and led the Majors in OBP and OPS.
- For his career, he averaged 32 homers and 103 RBIs and was a seven-time All-Star.
Cool fact to know. In 1972, Allen hit two inside-the-park home runs in a single game against the Minnesota Twins, against the same pitcher both times.
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Dave Parker, Pittsburgh Pirates. Born June 9, 1951, Grenada, Mississippi.
David Gene Parker also had impressive power numbers during his time. He played for six teams over a 19-year career: Pirates, Reds, A’s, Brewers, Angels and Blue Jays. He debuted in 1973 and last played in 1991. He’s entering the Hall of Fame as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, voted in by the Classic Era Baseball Committee. Parker died June 28, 2025, one month before he was to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- National League’s 1978 MVP with the Pirates. He hit .334 with 45 doubles, 30 homers, 117 RBIs, and led the Majors in OPS.
- From 1975 to 1979, his cumulative batting average was .321, second best in the Majors, and he collected 942 hits. He won back-to-back NL batting titles in 1977 and ’78.
- For his career, he averaged 22 homers and 98 RBIs and was a seven-time All-Star. He had 339 total home runs and was the inaugural winner of the Home Run Derby (1985).
Cool fact to know. When he signed a five-year, $5 million contract in early 1979, Parker became the first American athlete to attain an average annual salary of $1 million.
Resources: mlb.com/news/ichiro-suzuki-historic-rookie-season; mlb.com/news/dick-allen-hall-of-fame-induction; mlb.com/news/press-release-dick-allen-elected-to-hall; mlb.com/news/billy-wagner-hall-of-fame-case; baseball-reference.com; baseballhall.org; YouTube.com; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Parker; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Allen; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Wagner; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CC_Sabathia
