Ichiro Suzuki has his Hall of Fame plaque read to the crowd and receives his ring during his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Speaking to the crowd, Ichiro listed a few of historic achievements to set up the joke about the lone writer's snub. After the vote, Ichiro had offered to host the writer at his home for dinner, but on Sunday, he jokingly made a point to rescind that offer.

Suzuki hit .350 that year with 56 steals to win American League MVP and Rookie of the Year awards, helping the Mariners tie the MLB record with 116 wins in the regular season. In each of his first 10 seasons in MLB, Suzuki was named an All-Star, won a Gold Glove award and topped 200 hits.

When Bryan Woo gets to the field every day, Ichiro Suzuki is already there. Taking batting practice. Shagging fly balls. Playing catch. He hangs around after too, offering any advice he can to the current generation of Mariners players.

“Lou Piniella was very skeptical,” said Larry Stone, a Seattle Times baseball writer who has covered Ichiro’s career extensively. “That spring training, Ichiro started off not pulling the ball, not driving the ball. And Lou was like, ‘Who is this guy? When is he going to show me something?’”