Ichiro Suzuki, part of baseball’s latest Hall of Fame class, missed achieving a unanimous vote by just one ballot – a rare feat that has only occurred once before.

During a press conference in Cooperstown on Thursday, Suzuki, the first Japanese player inducted into the Hall of Fame, humorously acknowledged the one member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America who did not vote for him in the 2025 selection.

“I received a lot of votes from the writers, for which I am very thankful,” Suzuki expressed through an interpreter. “But there is that one writer who didn’t vote for me. I’d like to invite him to my home for a drink so we can have a nice conversation.”

Suzuki, who made his MLB debut in 2001, was honored with both the American League MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in his initial season. Over 19 years playing for the Mariners, Yankees, and Marlins, he achieved 3,089 hits and collected 10 Gold Glove awards.

“I’ve been visiting the Hall of Fame as a player, it’s truly an honor to be here now as a Hall of Famer,” Suzuki reflected on Thursday in Cooperstown.

Only Mariano Rivera has achieved the distinction of being a unanimous Hall of Fame selection, which he did in 2019, while Derek Jeter fell just one vote short in 2020.