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.

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."

Ichiro Suzuki, the first Japanese Hall of Famer in baseball history, had one of the most humorous speeches since the late Bob Uecker.