The one-time American League MVP, single-season hits record-holder and 10-time Golden Glove winner was tapped for the Hall of Fame earlier this month after 19 stunning seasons in the major leagues. He received 99.7% of the vote, meaning he was just shy of a unanimous bid.

At a Hall of Fame news conference, Ichiro joined the ranks of many people around the globe in wondering why he didn’t get that one vote.

Sabathia, Suzuki and Wagner Get Their "Hall Pass" In Cooperstown Sabathia, Suzuki and Wagner Get In Cooperstown

The first time Ichiro Suzuki set foot into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. was nearly a quarter ... perhaps becoming only the second player to be a unanimous selection, joining New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.

Ichiro Suzuki wants to raise a glass with the voter who chose not to check off his name on the Hall of Fame ballot.

Ichiro Suzuki could join Mariano Rivera as the only unanimous picks for baseball’s Hall of Fame and CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner and Carlos Beltrán also could be elected when results

Cooperstown, New York - Ichiro Suzuki, whose uncanny hitting talent made him a Seattle Mariners icon after he'd established himself as a star in Japan, became the first Japanese player elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

January 22 - Ichiro Suzuki missed unanimous election to the Baseball ... Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer were all inducted last July. Suzuki's close call means New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera remains the only unanimous electee.

New Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, now 51, still loves putting on the Seattle Mariners' uniform for pre-game workouts.

Ichiro received 99.7 percent of the vote to earn election to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. The M's released the video of what the call from the Hall of Fame sounded late.

Ichiro Suzuki could become the first Japanese player in baseball’s Hall of Fame, and CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner and Carlos Beltrán also could be elected when results of the writers’ voting are announced.

Image Courtesy of Major League Baseball By Zachary Lichter Former Major League Baseball (MLB) players, Ichiro Suzuki, Carsten Charles Sabathia, and Billy Wagner’s life changed on January 21 when they received the most exciting news of any former baseball player’s life: that they would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.