Although a light rain delayed the start of the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony by an hour, it did little to dampen the spirits of the fans who gathered on Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, to celebrate their hero, Ichiro Suzuki.
For the families who made the trip from Japan or from the Japanese communities across the United States, the induction ceremony on Sunday wasn’t simply about baseball history. It was a moment to honor a player whose precision and consistency came to define an era and, in many cases, their own childhoods.
One fan named Kaori, originally from Japan but now living in New York, visited with her husband, three sons and daughter. Although they are mostly New York Mets fans, Ichiro’s induction transcended team loyalties.
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