Ichiro Suzuki adds humorous touches to Hall of Fame induction ceremonies

COOPERSTOWN N Y AP If you want someone for your next celebrity roast Ichiro Suzuki could be your guy Mixing sneaky humor with heartfelt messages the first Japanese-born participant to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame stole the show Sunday in Cooperstown Morning showers and gloomy skies delayed the ceremonies by an hour but the moisture gave way to bright skies and warm temperatures The sun seemed its brightest during Suzuki s acceptance speech The outfielder was joined by pitcher CC Sabathia also elected in his first year of eligibility and closer Billy Wagner who made it in his final try on the writers ballot Suzuki fell one vote shy of being a unanimous selection and he took a jab at the unidentified sports writer who didn t vote for him Three thousand hits or hits in one season are two achievements recognized by the writers Well all but one Suzuki disclosed to roaring laughter By the way the offer for the writer to have dinner at my home has now expired he added with emphasis on expired for good measure A pair of Era Committee selections rounded out the Class of Dave Parker who earned the nickname Cobra during big league seasons and slugger Dick Allen Parker died June just a month before he was to be inducted An estimated fans crowded onto the field adjacent to the Clark Sports Center sun umbrellas and Japanese flags sprinkled around Suzuki s No was seemingly everywhere as fans thousands of them Seattle Mariners boosters who made the trek from the Pacific Northwest chanted Ichiro several times throughout the day A sign that read Thank You Ichiro Forever a Legend in English and Japanese summed up the admiration for Suzuki on his special day With returning Hall of Famers on hand Suzuki paid homage to his new baseball home in Cooperstown and his adoring fans by delivering his -minute speech in English His humor a surprise to multiple delighted the crowd He threw shade at the Miami Marlins the last stop of his professional career Honestly when you guys offered me a contract in I had never heard of your company Suzuki joked He kidded that he evidenced up at spring training every year with his arm already in shape just to hear Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs scream Holy smokes Another laser-beam throw from Ichiro He even took a moment for a few tongue-in-cheek modesty People often measure me by my records Three thousand hits Ten Gold Gloves Ten seasons of hits Not bad huh Suzuki revealed to more laughs He thanked his late agent Tony Anastasio for getting me to America and for teaching me to love wine But he also took time to get to the root of what made him extraordinary Baseball is much more than just hitting throwing and running Baseball taught me to make valued decisions about what is critical It helped shape my view of life and the world The older I got I realized the only way I could get to play the meeting I loved to the age of at the highest level was to dedicate myself to it fully he mentioned When fans use their precious time to see you play you have a responsibility to perform for them whether you are winning by or losing by Baseball taught me what it means to be a professional and I believe that is the main reason I am here in the modern day I could not have achieved the numbers without paying attention to the small details every single day consistently for all seasons Now he s reached the pinnacle overcoming doubters one of whom noted to him Don t embarrass the nation He s made his homeland proud Going into America s Baseball Hall of Fame was never my goal I didn t even know there was one I visited Cooperstown for the first time in but being here this day sure feels like a fantastic dream Sabathia thanked the great players sitting behind me even Ichiro who stole my Rookie of the Year award in He paid homage to Parker and spoke about Black beliefs in this day s competition It s an extra honor to be a part of Dave s Hall of Fame class He was a father figure for a generation of Black stars In the s and early s when I first started watching baseball and Dave Parker was crushing homers the number of Black players in the major leagues was at its highest about Me and my friends played the tournament because we saw those guys on TV and there was inevitably somebody who looked like me in a baseball uniform Baseball has perpetually been a great tournament for Black athletes but baseball custom has not consistently been great to Black people I hope we re starting to turn that around I don t want to be the final member of the Black aces a Black pitcher to win games And I don t want to be the final Black pitcher giving a Hall of Fame speech Wagner urged young players to treat obstacles not as roadblocks but steppingstones I wasn t the biggest performer I wasn t supposed to be here There were only seven full-time relievers in the Hall of Fame Now there are eight because I refused to give up or give in he commented Suzuki received of votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America Sabathia was picked on ballots and Wagner on which was votes more than the needed for the required After arriving in the majors in Suzuki joined Fred Lynn as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season Suzuki was a two-time AL batting champion and -time All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder hitting with homers RBIs and stolen bases with Seattle the New York Yankees and Miami He is perhaps the best contact hitter ever with hits in Nippon Professional Baseball and in MLB including a season-record in His combined total of exceeds Pete Rose s major league record of Sabathia second to Suzuki in AL Rookie of the Year voting was a six-time All-Star who won the AL Cy Young Award and a World Series title in He went - with a ERA and strikeouts third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton during seasons with Cleveland Milwaukee and the New York Yankees A seven-time All-Star Wagner was - with a ERA and saves for Houston Philadelphia the New York Mets Boston and Atlanta Tom Hamilton and Tom Boswell were also honored during Hall of Fame weekend Hamilton has been the primary radio broadcaster for the Cleveland Guardians franchise for seasons and received the Ford C Frick Award Boswell a retired sports columnist who spent his entire career with The Washington Post was honored with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award AP MLB https apnews com hub mlb Source