Lefty starter CC Sabathia, outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, and lefty reliever Billy Wagner were voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. First baseman Dick Allen and outfielder Dave Parker were voted into Cooperstown by the Hall of Fame's Classic Baseball Era Committee.

Mixing sneaky humor with heartfelt messages, the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame stole the show in Cooperstown.