Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki will earn election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. When he does, he'll becom

Ken Griffey Jr. has a unique request for fellow Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki after Hall of Fame selection. One of the greatest players in Seattle Mariners history has officially punched his ticket to Cooperstown. Following a near-unanimous vote, Ichiro Suzuki has been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ichiro had more hits than anyone, while serving as a powerful precedent for Japanese players. That overshadows whether his Hall of Fame election was unanimous.

The Seattle Mariners have several franchise greats who can also boast to being considered in the most elite echelon of players. Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez

Ichiro began his MLB odyssey in 2001 with the Mariners, already a seasoned professional at the age of 27, and quickly became one of the game’s biggest stars with the Mariners.

To this point, only famed Yankee closer Mariano Rivera has been elected to the Hall of Fame unanimously — not Babe Ruth, not Hank Aaron, not Ken Griffey Jr. nor Derek Jeter, just Rivera. Could Suzuki be the second?

Ichiro was the first Japanese position player to appear in an MLB game, and he will be the first Japanese player enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame during the induction ceremony on July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Ichiro will be the first Japanese player enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame during the induction ceremony on July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The career .311 MLB hitter was the 2001 AL MVP and Rookie of the Year and won 10 consecutive AL Gold Glove Awards, all with the Mariners.

Ichiro was the first Japanese position player to appear in an MLB game, and he will be the first Japanese player enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame during the induction ceremony on July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The BriefIchiro Suzuki became the first Japanese player to earn entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame.Suzuki earned 393 of 394 votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America, joining Derek Jeter in falling one vote shy of unanimous selection.