COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — On an overcast Sunday, thousands of fans from the Far East to the East Coast, from Texas to the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, gathered in this charming village to induct five baseball icons into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
They listened to moving stories from the new inductees: Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner, as well as Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were honored posthumously.
Despite the star-studded lineup, the most notable figure was Suzuki, 51, who became the first baseball player to be inducted into the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame twice when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in January. He played nine years in Japan before being released by MLB after the 2000 season and signed by the Seattle Mariners to begin his illustrious second career.
“This is my third time as a rookie,” Suzuki said. He has relied on translators for much of his career, but this time he gave his speech in English. “I was drafted out of high school (in Japan) in 1992. In 2001, when I was 27, the Seattle Mariners signed me and I became a rookie again.”
“I realized I was a rookie again… I was 51, so it didn’t hurt to be bullied.”
Suzuki was both humorous and serious when he talked about why he was inducted into the Hall of Fame: his preparation, his control over the game, and his sense of responsibility to give everything for the fans.
He took great care of his equipment and would not blame the equipment manager if his glove was not laced perfectly or his cleats were not good enough when he was running the bases. Every time he went to spring training, his arm was always in great shape.
“If you stick to doing everything well, you can achieve a lot,” Suzuki said. He won two AL batting titles and was named AL Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in 2001.
Suzuki said he had never dreamed of playing in the United States until he saw Hideo Nomo pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Japanese television.
“It suddenly dawned on me that I could challenge myself to go somewhere I had never thought possible,” he told an audience that included Japanese fans. “I’m grateful to the Seattle Mariners for believing in me to be the first infielder from Japan.”
Sabathia’s journey was noticeably shortened for fans, whether it was from his first MLB home game in Cleveland, his brief stint in Milwaukee or his final game with the New York Yankees.
Sabathia’s speech was a love letter to all the women in his life, including his grandmother, who allowed him to throw grapefruits that fell from the tree in her backyard onto a chair — his strike zone. His mother, who always caught his balls in full gear, took him to Athletics games at the Oakland Coliseum and discussed pitching techniques with him during his rise to the major leagues. And his wife, whom he had met in high school and has been with ever since.
He also spoke passionately about the places he had played.
“I was born and raised in Vallejo,” the Northern California native said, “but I grew up in Cleveland.”
In New York, Sabathia furthered his Hall of Fame credentials by leading the major leagues to championships in 2009 and 2010. He called signing with the Yankees “the best decision we ever made.”
Suzuki and Sabathia, 45, were inducted into the Hall of Fame during their junior years. Wagner, who won Roland Garros Relief Pitcher of the Year with the Houston Astros in 1999, was inducted on the 10th and final ballot.
Wagner, a natural right-hander, learned to throw left-handed after a childhood injury to his right arm. He told the story of how he went from “a 5-foot-11, 90-pound nobody” to the Hall of Fame as a young boy from Virginia.
He said it was perseverance and passion that took him from Division III Ferrum Academy to Cooperstown.
“I refused to give up,” the 54-year-old Wagner said with emotion. “I refused to listen to outside criticism. … Perseverance is not just a trait, it’s a path to greatness.”
Parker and Allen, both seven-time All-Stars and Most Valuable Player Awards winners, were inducted by the Classic Era Committee. Parker died June 28 at age 74, six months after being denied a long-awaited induction into the Hall of Fame.
Allen died in 2020 at age 78.
Parker’s son, David Parker II, and Allen’s widow, Willa, used their speeches to reflect on what baseball meant to their loved ones and what this day meant to them.
Parker Jr. took the audience through his father’s career, traveling through the six major league cities where his father played. He became a legend in Pittsburgh, winning two batting titles and his first World Series, and learning the ropes of being a major leaguer from franchise cornerstones—Roberto Clemente, Al Oliver and Doc Ellis.
As he continued his career in his hometown, from Cincinnati to Oakland, Milwaukee, Anaheim and Toronto, Parker became “Dad,” helping to mentor the next generation, including Hall of Famers Barry Larkin, Robin Yount and Paul Molitor.
“He cherished his role as a spiritual father to these young men,” David Parker II said.
As Parker battled health in his final months, he wrote a poem that summed up his thoughts on his career and induction. His son read the poem to fans wearing “Parker 39” jerseys.
The poem begins, wittily, with the words, “Here I am. 39. Damn it, it’s about time.”
Allen, known for swinging a 42-inch bat, was described in a moving story by his widow as a heavyweight player, husband and friend. Vera Allen said he was a man of “principles, compassion and determination.”
That determination was evident even as a child. At his school in a small Pennsylvania town, a teacher asked students what they wanted to do when they grew up. He confidently told the class that he wanted to play Major League Baseball.
That was before Jackie Robinson broke segregation in 1947. The other kids laughed.
“He wasn’t laughing. He believed it,” Vera Allen said. “Look at him.”
Looking ahead to 2026, it’s unlikely that any rookie players will be selected. Carlos Beltran (70.3% in 2025) and Andruw Jones (66.2%) are both likely to be selected next year. Both are members of the 400-home run club, and Jones is a 10-time Gold Glove winner.
– Field Level Media/Reuters
