Hall of Fame inductee Ichiro Suzuki makes his Baseball Hall of Fame acceptance speech during the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Clark Sports Center. Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
By Sean Keeley on

Who knew that Ichiro Suzuki’s Hall of Fame acceptance speech was going to turn into a roast?

While Ichiro was most well-known for his time with the Seattle Mariners, the Major League Baseball single-season hits leader spent three of his 19 MLB seasons with the Miami Marlins. And he had some fun at the expense of the ballclub and their former executives during his acceptance speech on Sunday.

“I appreciate David Samson and Mike Hill for coming today,” he said of the Marlins’ former president and general manager. “Honestly, when you guys called to offer me a contract for 2015, I had never heard of your team.”

Samson, who now hosts the podcast Nothing Personal with David Samson and makes regular appearances on Meadowlark Media shows, was the president of the Marlins from 2002 until September 2017. Hill was the team’s general manager.

While Ichiro’s time with the Marlins was mostly forgettable, it was a nice way to ensure the connection became part of his Hall of Fame lore.

Suzuki also took a jab at the anonymous lone member of the Baseball Writers Association of America who didn’t vote for him in his first year of eligibility.

“3,000 hits or 262 hits in one season are achievements recognized by the writers. Well, all but one of you. And by the way, the offer for that writer to have dinner at my home has now expired,” Ichiro told the crowd gathered in Cooperstown.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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