With 52 returning Hall of Famers on hand, Suzuki paid homage to his new baseball home in Cooperstown and his adoring fans by delivering his 18-minute speech in English. His humor, a surprise to many, delighted the crowd. He threw shade at the Miami Marlins, the last stop of his professional career.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum officially welcomed five new members Sunday. This year's induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York, honored the 2025 Hall of Fame class, led by the peerless Ichiro Suzuki.

Suzuki referened the lone writer who did not give him a Hall of Fame vote, saying that a previous invitation to dinner had now "expired."