Yankees legend Hideki Matsui played seven seasons for the Yankees. It wasn’t until his final one, in 2009, with the addition of lefty ace CC Sabathia, that he managed to get that elusive World Series ring.

NEW YORK — Used to leading off, Ichiro Suzuki got antsy when he had to wait. Considered a no-doubt pick for baseball’s Hall of Fame and possibly the second unanimous selection, he waited by the phone for the expected call Tuesday. Fifteen minutes passed without a ring.

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.

CC Sabathia’s career ended abruptly. Yes, the longtime Yankees left-hander had announced months earlier his plans to retire after the 2019 season, but his final appearance did not go as ceremoniously as Derek Jeter’s or Mariano Rivera’s.

Baseball Hall of Fame class will include five players. Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner will join Dick Allen and Dave Parker in Cooperstown this summer, the BB

Ichiro Suzuki is the first Japanese-born player voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He'll be joined by CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner in the Class of 2025.

With the Yankees, CC Sabathia gained immortality. The big lefty, who rose to the moment consistently and whose fiery attitude became as iconic as his pitching arm, was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot.

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner met with the media on Thursday as the newest members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

This piece was initially supposed to be a list of takeaways about the 2025 BBWAA Baseball Hall of Fame election. However, all my takeaways came back to the same theme, one that seems to be overshadowed by negativity.

Voting for the Hall of Fame is an incredible honor, and it’s something I and the others who have those votes spend a great deal of time on. I don’t think a day goes by when I don’t spend at least a few minutes thinking about next year’s vote.

New Hall of Fame member CC Sabathia recalls a story of throwing a new pitch to fellow Hall of Famer Ichiro during a 2006 game.