Billy Wagner had never been to Cooperstown. His closest brushes were trips in short-season A-ball to Oneonta, some 25 miles south in New York, to play road games in 1993, his first professional season in the Houston Astros’ system,

CC Sabathia’s career ended abruptly. Yes, the longtime Yankees left-hander had announced months earlier his plans to retire after the 2019 season, but his final appearance did not go as ceremoniously as Derek Jeter’s or Mariano Rivera’s.

Baseball Hall of Fame voters have a New York Yankees bias. Just ask Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer Chipper Jones.

Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese player chosen for baseball’s Hall of Fame, falling one vote shy of unanimous when he was elected along with CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.

Billy Wagner received 82.5 percent of the tally from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, after he missed by just five votes last year.

Sabathia, Suzuki and Wagner Get Their "Hall Pass" In Cooperstown Sabathia, Suzuki and Wagner Get In Cooperstown

It was no surprise that former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) on his first ballot. While Ichiro had an outstanding career in his own right, he was not the only first-ballot Hall of Famer selected to Cooperstown this year.

Lefty pitchers Billy Wagner and CC Sabathia both earned their spots in the Baseball Hall of Fame, joining near-unanimous selection Ichiro

The Hall of Fame introduced the newest members of its Class of 2025 -- Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner \-\- live from Cooperstown on Thursday. The trio all donned matching Hall of Fame jerseys and caps and shared their thoughts on being elected to the Hall.

The five newcomers, including Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27, 2025, in Cooperstown, New York.

While Mariano Rivera remains the only Hall of Famer to be voted in unanimously by the Baseball Writers Association of America, Ichiro joins Derek Jeter (2020) as inductees who were one vote shy of joining the longtime New York Yankees closer in that elite category.