Ichiro Suzuki plans to do more than just be inducted into the Hall of Fame this July. He also intends to donate his entire personal collection to the museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Former National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum president Jeff Idelson announced the news while sharing a previous discussion with Suzuki on a recent “Refuse to Lose” podcast.
“It culminated with him wanting to follow in the footsteps of Hank Aaron and Tom Seaver, two players who pledged their entire collections to Cooperstown,” Idelson said. “Ichiro said, ‘I want to be the third much later in my life.'”
Idelson, 60, served as the president of the Hall of Fame from 2008-19. He returned as interim president in 2021 after Tim Mead stepped down.
Idelson and Suzuki, 51, have shared a relationship that continued past the latter’s baseball career.
Suzuki earned an astounding 99.9 percent of the vote last month to become the first Japanese-born inductee. He will enter the Hall of Fame alongside CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner, Dave Parker and Dick Allen when he is inducted on July 27.
Suzuki batted .311 with 3,089 hits, 509 stolen bases and 10 Gold Gloves despite debuting at age 27 in 2001, when he won the American League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards for the Seattle Mariners.
After 11-plus years with Seattle, Suzuki was traded to the New York Yankees in 2012 and played three years with the Miami Marlins from 2015-17 before ending his career with cameos the next two seasons for his original club.
