Mariners have perfect response to lone wolf Ichiro voter on social media

No one should be surprised that Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki was elected to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday. While this year's ballot wasn't overly strong, Ichiro getting in was as close to a mortal lock as it gets. The only real question was the margin, and that is where things got a bit contentious.

Hall of Fame voters are notorious for avoiding electing players into Cooperstown unanimously. The only one to get the nod on all ballots was Mariano Rivera which, given legends like Ken Griffey Jr., Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays weren't unanimous, makes one wonder how much getting a 100% actually matters beyond the fact that it is conclusive proof that a minority of voters are morons.

However, Ichiro had a real shot at being the second player to get every eligible voters' ballot. The Hall of Fame has culled a lot of the older malcontents from the voter rolls in recent years, and you will struggle to find any player as beloved as Ichiro.

But it was not to be. One voter left Ichiro off their ballot to keep him from a clean sweep. The Mariners, understandably, were incredulous.

Mariners troll single voter who left Ichiro of Hall of Fame ballot

First of all, A+ choice with the meme by the Mariners' social media team here. Sometimes a longer quip is what is needed to put someone on blast, but we love the simplicity of the roast here. For those who may be wondering, the voter who didn't cast a ballot for Ichiro has not identified themselves and it feels very unlikely that they will do so.

Purely on merit, Ichiro deserved to be on every ballot. Even if you ignore his numbers during his time in Japan (which would be a dubious decision in itself), he had more than enough counting stats (over 3,000 hits and a .311 average across 19 seasons), awards (MVP, 10 All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves) and advanced metrics support to be considered a top candidate.

Unfortunately, that isn't how Hall of Fame voting works. Some voters leave names off to give nods to lesser players to keep them on the ballot a little longer. Why? To make a point of questionable value, or just to get attention for themselves. It is an unfortunate side effect of the process in place for induction, but it shouldn't take away from Ichiro's worth and how amazing his path to Cooperstown truly was.

More Mariners News from SoDo Mojo