Ichiro, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner Make Up 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame Class

CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees pitches against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium on June 25, 2011. Al Bello/Getty Images

According to the Baseball Almanac, there have been 20,787 players in Major League Baseball history. However, just 277 of those have made it to the Baseball Hall of Fame, or 1.3 percent, making it one of the most distinguished clubs in all of sports.

On Tuesday, three former players got the call from the Hall of Fame that they will be enshrined in Cooperstown, N.Y., this year, joining Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were previously elected via the Veterans Committee. The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will consist of Allen and Parker, plus the trio of Ichiro, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.

Those three are familiar to current baseball fans, with careers that spanned a quarter century from 1995 through 2019. They combined for 23 All-Star selections and span the gamut of time waiting for the Hall of Fame nod, as Ichiro and Sabathia are both first-ballot Hall of Famers, while Wagner had to wait the maximum of 10 years. Here’s a deeper look at why each of the three were chosen.

Ichiro Suzuki acknowledges fans during the Mariners' Hall of Fame ceremony before a game against the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Aug. 27, 2022. Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Ichiro Suzuki, Outfielder

Before coming to the United States at the age of 27, Ichiro Suzuki was a global superstar as a seven-time All-Star and three-time MVP in Japan. He didn’t disappoint when joining the Seattle Mariners in 2001, winning the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year awards, becoming the second player ever to receive both honors in the same season. That started a historic run for Ichiro,  who had at least 200 hits and a batting average over .300 in each of his first 10 MLB seasons.

Ichiro made All-Star appearances in each of those 10 seasons, also winning a Gold Glove each season, in addition to collecting two batting titles. He would play another nine seasons until he was 45 in 2019, and he surpassed both the 3,000 hit and 500 stolen base plateaus. When you add up his hits in Japan, plus those in MLB, his total of 4,367 in professional baseball is the most ever, topping even MLB hit king Pete Rose. Ichiro received 99.7 percent of the Hall of Fame vote, appearing on every ballot except for one, and he becomes the first Japanese player to get inducted.

CC Sabathia, Starting Pitcher

With an MLB career that started when he was 20 and finished when he was 39, Sabathia was one of the most durable and consistent arms for two decades. He accumulated 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts over his career, posting a 3.74 ERA despite spending all but 11 games in the more hitter-friendly American League. Sabathia won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award with Cleveland, was a six-time All-Star, and won a World Series ring with the 2009 New York Yankees.

No lefty pitcher in MLB history has racked up more strikeouts in the American League than Sabathia, and his 251 victories are tied with Bob Gibson for the second-most among African American pitchers, trailing only Ferguson Jenkins’ 281. Sabathia received 86.8 percent of the vote and he joins Ichiro as the 45^th and 46^th Yankees to head to Cooperstown, the most of any franchise.

Closer Billy Wagner of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Detroit Tigers at Turner Field in Atlanta on June 25, 2010. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Billy Wagner, Relief Pitcher

One of the most dominant closers in MLB history, Wagner racked up 422 saves during his 16-year career, which spanned five teams. That save count is the second-most all-time among left-handed pitchers, which is a bit ironic as Wagner is a natural-born right-hander. He went 47-40 for his career, with a sparkling 2.31 ERA, and he posted a sub-3.00 ERA in each of his 13 seasons with at least 40 innings pitched. Wagner was a flamethrower out of the bullpen who averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings for his career, which remains the third-most in MLB history (minimum 800 innings).

Arguably Wagner’s finest season was his last, when he had a career-best 1.43 ERA with the 2010 Atlanta Braves. A seven-time All-Star, he becomes just the ninth primary relief pitcher to get the call from the hall, and Wagner appeared on 82.5 percent of ballots in his final year of eligibility.

Among those who missed the threshold of appearing on 75 percent of ballots are outfielders Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones. Beltran (70.3 percent) was on the ballot for the third year, while Jones (66.2 percent) was on the ballot for the eighth year. They will remain up for consideration and on the ballot for 10 years before then going the Veteran’s Committee route that Allen and Parker went.

Next year’s ballot doesn’t include any first-year players who are automatics for Cooperstown, but it is highlighted by NL MVP Ryan Braun and World Series MVP Cole Hamels.

The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.