The 2025 National Baseball Hall of Fame class is officially complete.
Each year, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) elects a select number of players to the Hall of Fame. In order to be elected into the Hall of Fame, a player must receive 75% of the votes cast and have played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for at least 10 seasons. Following a player’s retirement, they become eligible for Hall of Fame votes five years after their last season.
Ichiro Suzuki led the final voting results with an almost unanimous election, standing at 99.7 percent. Ichiro was the first Japanese-born position player in the MLB and did not debut until 27 years of age. However, he immediately made an impact in the league by winning both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player (MVP) in his rookie season. Over his career, Ichiro recorded a batting average of .311, 3,089 hits, and 780 RBI. Other notable achievements include two American League (AL) batting titles, three Silver Slugger Awards, and the single season hits record.
The player with the second highest voting results was pitcher CC Sabathia. Sabathia became the first pitcher to be named a first-ballot Hall of Famer since Mariano Rivera and Roy Halladay in 2019. Some of his accomplishments include leading the MLB in wins twice, a World Series championship, and one American League (AL) Cy Young Award. Sabathia was also known for his durability, accumulating 251 wins and 3,577 innings during his 18 year career.
The final player that was inducted into the Hall of Fame was Billy Wagner. This was a huge announcement as this season was Wagner’s final attempt at being inducted through the BBWA. Wagner’s journey to the big leagues is remarkable as he broke his right arm as a child and learned how to pitch with his other hand. He then played college baseball at Ferrum College before being drafted by the Houston Astros. In 16 seasons, Wagner compiled 422 saves with 1,196 strikeouts in 903 innings. He was named to seven All-Star teams and his 225 saves with the Astros are a franchise record.
The induction ceremony for all three players will be held on Jul. 27 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York.
https://www.mlb.com/news/2025-baseball-hall-of-fame-election-results
