Derek Jeter says voters should be “accountable” after Ichiro falls 1 vote shy of unanimous Hall of Fame nod
There is always one.
That was the case on Monday When Ichiro Suzuki was just one vote shy of becoming the second player to be unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame.
Ichiro received 393 out of 394 votes Longtime baseball writers entered. Mariano Rivera remains the lone unanimous vote winner, accomplishing the feat in 2019.
Ichiro, of course, undoubtedly belongs in Cooperstown with over 3,000 hits and 10 Gold Gloves in his prestigious career. It was always a guarantee that he would be in, but it was a question of whether he would get 100% of the vote.
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Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees and Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners pose before the MLB All Star Game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. (Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
When it was revealed that only one person had not voted for him, the celebration quickly turned into outrage on social media.
five years ago, Derek Jeter There was also one unanimity vote. At the time, in typical Jeter fashion, he took the high road and said it was hard to get everyone to agree on anything. During his induction ceremony, he took a shot at a lone voter who failed to check his name on the ballot.
But with Ichiro’s snub, Jeter said voters should be held accountable for their actions.
“There’s been a lot of amazing players that are in the Hall of Fame that didn’t get 100% of the vote. I never expected it, and I would never sit here and say everybody should vote for me or everybody should vote for Ichiro,” he said. Jeter told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
“The only thing I think is fair is I think a lot of members of the media want athletes to be accountable and responsible; I think they should do the same. I’m asking this question, I’m getting tired of being asked this question, and I think they should answer the him.”
Former Seattle shortstop Ichiro Suzuki throws a ball into the dugout before throwing out the first load of the game against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park. (Joe Nicholson-USA Today Sports)
Jeter has had plenty of success on the diamond, and he hopes to have more of that in Miami this weekend as the captain of the Padel Reserve Cup, along with Andrew Schulz and Jimmy Butler.
“It’s a fun sport to watch. I’ve never watched actual live, professional Padel before. And it’s pretty fun to watch all the athleticism,” Jeter said. “It’s good to see people getting active. I haven’t been very active since I retired. I’ve slowed down my physical activity. It’s fun to see the sport grow. I know it’s huge internationally, Wayne [Boich] He had the vision to grow it here in the US – and he really deserves a lot of credit. “
Ichiro joined the majors in 2001 as a highly regarded Japanese prospect, hitting .353 during his nine seasons in his home country, where he won three MVPs and was a seven-time All-Star. Joining the Mariners at age 28, he immediately lived up to the hype, winning Al MVP and Helping the team years Mariners to a record 116 wins.
American League All-Stars Vladimir Guerrero, left, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki stand at attention during the national anthem before the 78th Major League Baseball All-Star Game at AT&T Park on July 10, 2007, in San Francisco. in San Francisco, in San Francisco, in San Francisco. (Greg Trott/Getty Images)
From 2001 to 2010, Ichiro was named an All-Star every season and also won the Gold Glove Award every year. In that span, he won three Silver Slugger Awards and two batting titles while posting a .331 average and .806 OPS. In 2004, he set the all-time single-season record with 262 hits, and is the only player in MLB history to register 10 straight 200-plus hit seasons. He also stole more than 500 bases and is one of only seven players to record 3,000 hits and 500 stolen bases.
After just his 11th MLB game, his career average never dipped below .300 again. He retired with a .311 average, 3,089 hits and 60.0 ERA. In the live era (since 1920), he is one of only 21 players with at least 10 seasons of hitting .300 (among qualified hitters) and only one of seven to do so for 10 straight years. Ichiro spent most of his career with the Mariners, with stops with the Yankees and Marlins.
New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter talks with Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki during Game 4 of the ALCS on October 21, 2001 at Yankee Stadium. (M. David Leeds/Getty Images)
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Ichiro and Jeter played together from 2012 to 2014.
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