Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia headline 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame Class

(NEXSTAR) -- On Sunday July 27, the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

This year’s star-studded inductees are CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Dave Parker, Billy Wagner, and Dick Allen.

“As a baseball player, this is the highest honor that you can achieve,” Suzuki said. “As a baseball player, this is definitely the top of the top. As a baseball player, or a person that plays baseball, I’m going to find a different path and different have goals and different ways that I need to go in a different direction. As a professional baseball player, this is definitely the highest, top honor.”

Sabathia, pitched for 19 seasons for the Indians, Brewers and Yankees and retired as one of five pitchers in history with at least 250 wins, a .600 winning percentage and 3,000 strikeouts.

Suzuki played 19 seasons for the Mariners, Yankees and Marlins and led the MLB in hits seven times in his career.

Both Sabathia and Suzuki made their Major League debuts in 2001, and both were voted into the Hall of Fame on their first ballot.

“I knew Ichi would be first ballot,” Sabathia said. “I did want to go in at the same time as him because us being rookies together and us being teammates, I’m excited to be a part of his class. But that was going to be all on me, right? We knew he was going to be in.”

Wagner pitched 16 seasons for the Astros, Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves and totaled 422 saves, the second-best mark by a left-hander in MLB history. He was voted into the Hall on his final ballot.

“I think as the road got closer to this point in time, there was times I was very optimistic,” Wagner said. “But, like last year, missing out and then the hype of everybody saying that ‘no one’s ever missed out when they’ve gotten this close,’ waiting on that other shoe to fall. It’s not been an easy 10 years… I’m just happy that it’s over.”

Dick Parker played 15 seasons for the Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox and Athletics and was one of the top hitters of his era.

Dave Parker played 19 seasons with the Pirates, Reds, Athletics, Brewers, Angels and Blue Jays and retired as one of only five players with at least 500 doubles, 300 home runs, 150 steals and 2700 hits.

Both Parker and Allen will be posthumous inductees but were both voted in by the Classic Baseball Era Committee.

Dave Parker passed away in June 2025 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, but he told reporters in December 2024 that he was excited to be inducted into the hall of fame when he found out. He even said that he cried, but it didn’t last long because he didn’t cry.

“Dave Parker was one of my favorite players,” Sabathia said. “So just, just incredibly excited and humbled and really sad that he's not going to be able to be there, but excited to be a part of his class.”

Sunday’s Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will take place at 1:30pm at Clark Sports Center, one mile south of the Hall of fame in Cooperstown.