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.

Dave Parker, who died a month before he was to be inducted, and Dick Allen got into the Hall posthumously after being voted in by the classics committee.

Masataka Yoshida was excited to see Suzuki become the first Japanese player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.