Ichiro falls a vote short of being the second unanimous choice ever. CC makes it in his first year of eligibility, Wagner in his last. The recent ballot glut has cleared.

The longtime Seattle Mariners ace is set to be at the forefront of the argument for a new generation of pitchers.

Ichiro Suzuki missed unanimous election to the Baseball Hall of Fame by one vote Tuesday night when he headlined a three-player class selected by the 394 voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

King Félix will have to wait for his potential crowning ceremony, but Tuesday night’s announcement was a solid debut for the former Mariners ace’s chances for enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Other bits of intrigue ahead of Tuesday's 6 p.m. announcement: Will CC Sabathia be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and is this the year Billy Wagner gets in?

The trio of stars, each of whom spent part of their career in New York, will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 27.

It started in 1992. That’s when Ichiro made his debut in professional baseball. In 1992, Ichiro made his debut for the Orix Blue Wave at the age of 18.

Used to leading off, Ichiro Suzuki got antsy when he had to wait. Considered a no-doubt pick for baseball's Hall of Fame and possibly the second unanimous selection, he waited by the phone for the expected call Tuesday.

Ichiro will join fellow Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, and Jackie Robinson as the only players to have their uniform number retired by the M's.

O n Tuesday, the Baseball Writers Association of America elected Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Ichiro’s election was a fo

Ichiro Suzuki missed unanimous election to the Baseball Hall of Fame by one vote Tuesday night, when he headlined a three-player class selected by the 394 voting members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.