Ichiro became the first Japanese player chosen for baseball’s Hall, falling one vote shy of a unanimous election on Tuesday.

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,

Ichiro had more hits than anyone, while serving as a powerful precedent for Japanese players. That overshadows whether his Hall of Fame election was unanimous.