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Ichiro and Sabathia among the players who will participate in the Hall of Fame elections on Tuesday

Ichiro and Sabathia among the players who will participate in the Hall of Fame elections on Tuesday

NEW YORK (AP) — Ichiro Suzuki could become the first japanese player Into the baseball Hall of Fame, and CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner and Carlos Beltrán also could be elected 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 Cooperstown Hall on July 27 along with Dave Parker and Dick Allen, voted in last month by the classic era committee.

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

Suzuki came to the Major Leagues from Japan as a 27-year-old in 2001 and joined Fred Lynn in 1975 as the only players to win the American League Rookie of the Year and American League Most Valuable Player awards in the same season. He was a two-time American League batting champion and 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder, hitting .311 with 117 home runs, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle (2001-12, 2018-19), the Yankees from New York. (2012-14) and Miami (2015-17).

He is perhaps the best contact hitter in baseball history, with 1,278 hits in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and 3,089 in the MLB. Their 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 American League Cy Young Award in 2007 and a World Series title in 2009. He was 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson. and Steve Carlton. for 19 seasons with Cleveland (2001-08), Milwaukee (2008) and the New York Yankees (2009-19).

Wagner received 284 votes and 73.8% in the 2024 election, five votes short of the 75% needed when third baseman Adrian Beltré, catcher/first baseman Joe Mauer and first baseman Todd Helton They were chosen. Voting for the tenth 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 after Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith and Rivera.

Wagner, a seven-time All-Star, went 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.

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

he was hired as manager of the Mets on November 1, 2019then it was fired the following January 16 without having coached a game, three days after he was the only Astros player mentioned by name in a MLB report on team’s illicit use of electronic devices to steal signs during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series.

Alex Rodríguez and Manny Ramírez have fallen behind in the vote, hurt by suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs. Rodríguez received 34.8% last year in his third appearance and Ramírez 32.5% in his eighth.

Other holdovers 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, along with 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 joining the ballot in 2026 include Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp.

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