On an overcast Sunday in this charming village, thousands of fans from the Far East to the East Coast, from Texas to the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, gathered to usher five icons of the game into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
And they heard heartfelt tales from — and about — the inductees: Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, as well as Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were honored posthumously.
Despite the star power of the group, the man of the hour was Ichiro, 51, who became the first baseball player to be elected to two Halls of Fame, following his selection to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in January. He had a nine-year career in Japan with the Orix BlueWave before he was made available to MLB teams through the posting system after the 2000 season and signed by the Seattle Mariners to launch a splendid second career.
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