Lefty starter CC Sabathia, outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, and lefty reliever Billy Wagner were voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. First baseman Dick Allen and outfielder Dave Parker were voted into Cooperstown by the Hall of Fame's Classic Baseball Era Committee.

Masataka Yoshida was excited to see Suzuki become the first Japanese player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ichiro Suzuki, a remarkable hitter with dazzling speed and arm strength, not only broke stereotypes during a career played across two continents but also blazed a trail for a generation of Japanese-born players in Major League Baseball.