The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum officially welcomed five new members Sunday. This year's induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York, honored the 2025 Hall of Fame class, led by the peerless Ichiro Suzuki.

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.

Fellow Hall of Famers Tony La Russa, Jim Thome and Mauer will join Smith for the $1,000 event. Participants receive a morning reception in the Hall's plaque gallery, a photo with the Hall of Famers, and a commemorative gift to be autographed, along with on-the-field instruction from the Hall of Famers.