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.

Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners made history once again, this time with a speech that had the crowd laughing and chanting his name. On Sunday, he became the first player born in Japan to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.