The National Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed three new inductees on January 21, 205, with former New York Yankees stars CC Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki, alongside longtime Mets reliever Billy Wagner. Ichiro has solidified his status as one of baseball's greatest hitters, leading to expectations for a unanimous selection. However, the recent votes revealed that Ichiro missed unanimous induction by just one ballot, garnering 393 out of 394 votes. Mariano Rivera remains the only unanimous inductee from 2019. Derek Jeter, who faced a similar situation during his own induction, expressed disappointment over the lack of consensus for Ichiro.

Jeter reflected on his own experience, noting how he received 396 votes out of 397 in 2020. He acknowledged the greatness of players who have also not received 100% of the votes, implying that it is part of the subjective nature of Hall of Fame voting. His comments suggest a desire for transparency from BBWAA voters, who currently have the option to remain anonymous, especially in light of deserving players facing similar fates.