Chase Utley and Ian Kinsler had virtually identical careers from a stats and awards perspective, but their Hall of Fame cases vary widely.

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.

There was no doubt about Ichiro and little doubt about CC Sabathia, but one-time Phillies closer Billy Wagner still had to sweat it out in his 10th and final year on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot,

Once more, for baseball immortality, Billy Wagner closed it out. Wagner, the dominant closer who played a two-season sliver of his 16-year career with the Phillies, got elected Tuesday night to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his 10th and final year on the ballot.

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.

A leadoff hitter, an ace starter and a lockdown closer walk into a Hall … It’s no joke. The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 is complete after Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner

Chase Utley made gains in the his second year on the Hall of Fame ballot. We look at how he and the seven other former Dodgers did on the 2025 ballot. Ichiro, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner were inducted to Cooperstown.

Suzuki is the first Japanese player elected, falling one vote shy of unanimous. The trio will be inducted on July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with classic era committee picks Dave Parker and

Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner. It's a remarkable achievement to survive the gauntlet of baseball writers to get elected to Cooperstown: After all, the Baseball Hall of Fame remains the toughest to gain entry to, especially via the BBWAA path of election.

Ten players fell off the ballot for 2026, but three players received significant bumps in support from BBWAA voters.

As revealed Tuesday night, the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted in former Phillies closer Billy Wagner in his 10th and final year of eligibility. Wagner's name needed to appear on 75% of ballots to make it in. It appeared on 82.5%.