NEW YORK – There’s nothing really new to my 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, except the pleasure of voting for first-time eligibles Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia. Of the 28 players appearing on this year’s ballot, I checked six boxes.

Tuesday’s Baseball Hall of Fame announcement may have an especially New York feel to it. Not only is CC Sabathia on pace to easily become the latest Yankee to be inducted into Cooperstown, but as of Monday afternoon,

There are a lot of former superstars on the 2025 MLB Hall of Fame ballot. Every year, the best of the best will be inducted into Cooperstown and immortalized as a true legend in the sport.

Ichiro Suzuki is all about baseball, but he’s much more than that in Japan. Back home, he’s a wellspring of national pride, much like Shohei Ohtani now. His triumphs across the Pacific buoyed the nation as Japan’s economy sputtered through the so-called lost decades of the 1990s and into the 2000s.

Former Mariners, Yankees, and Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki became a Hall of Famer on Thursday, but he was not a unanimous selection

CC Sabathia is expected to be part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, with the results of this year’s vote scheduled to be announced Tuesday evening.

Pete Rose still holds the MLB record for career hits with 4,256, but Ichiro would be the hit king if you count the 1,278 hits he had in Japan. Ichiro reached 4,257 combined hits on June 15, 2016, with the Marlins, hitting a double off the San Diego Padres’ Fernando Rodney (remember him, Mariners fans?). Ichiro finished with 4,367 combined hits.

With the Baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2025 announcement approaching, it's time to review this year's ballot. Our final installment looks at the two newcomers to the ballot. Both of these icons appear ready for phone calls Tuesday.

Baseball Hall of Fame class will be announced Tuesday, and Ichiro is certain to get the call. Will he also have the honor of a unanimous vote?

Ichiro might be the only inductee this summer. Fine, he deserves the spotlight. But we get 10 votes. Here are mine, ranked, with an explanation for each.