SEATTLE — There are two people you could talk about.

But only one Ichiro.

On Tuesday, Ichiro — perhaps the most globally impactful player to ever grace the game — earned election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. His induction, of course, was never in question, cemented by 4,367 hits across 28 seasons and two continents. He bagged more hits than any professional baseball player in human history, while serving as a powerful precedent for Japanese position players.

All of which should overshadow the following four words:

It was not unanimous.

The iconic Mariners right fielder received 393 of a possible 394 votes (99.7%), landing a single anonymous vote from unanimity. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is the only MLB player to earn unanimous election, with Ken Griffey Jr. (three votes shy) and Derek Jeter (one vote shy) coming similarly close.

For context: the Baseball Writers' Association of America has handled Hall of Fame voting since 1936, and 400 writers were sent ballots for the current class. Members must be active baseball writers for a decade to earn a vote but are not required to publicly disclose their ballot.

Which means, the person who excluded Ichiro may remain eternally anonymous.

To the ire of almost everyone.

"How could you not vote for Ichiro?" Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports' Tom Verducci wondered Tuesday on MLB Network. "One of the greatest hitters I've ever seen."

Added longtime broadcaster Bob Costas: "He or she (who didn't vote for Ichiro) must step forward and explain themselves. I'd just like to hear your reasoning. Because I can't fathom a single reason."

Of course, this is a world where Tom Seaver fell five votes short in 1992. Where Nolan Ryan fell six votes short in 1999. Where Cal Ripken Jr. fell eight votes short in 2007. Where, because Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron and Lou Gehrig, etc., were not unanimously elected, an inescapably stupid precedent must be protected. Where, instead of learning from previous missteps, some choose to double down.

It's also possible the mystery BBWAA member — who is allowed to vote for a maximum 10 players per class — assumed Ichiro's inevitable induction and strategically spread their votes to other options instead. Or, in a catastrophic case of user error, they may have simply checked the wrong box on their ballot, a fateful foul-up.

Regardless of the reason, Ichiro — the first Japanese position player to enter MLB — will now be the first Japanese product enshrined in Cooperstown, N.Y. He'll be honored alongside pitcher CC Sabathia and reliever Billy Wagner on July 27, joining former teammates Griffey and Edgar Martinez as the third Mariner to earn induction.

In 2001, Ichiro became just the second MLB player to earn MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season while leading the Mariners to a league-record 116 wins. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound anomaly stockpiled 10 consecutive seasons with an All-Star appearance and a Gold Glove award, while claiming the all-time season hits record (262) in 2004.

In Japan, he won seven batting titles, three MVPs and a Japan Series championship (while recording 1,278 hits) in nine seasons with the Orix Blue Wave. In Seattle, New York and Miami, he posted 3,089 hits with a .311 career average, 509 stolen bases and 1,420 runs, despite debuting in MLB at age 27.

And yet, again ... it was not unanimous.

To the ire of everyone, it seems, but Ichiro.

"In 2001, there was probably not one person on this Earth that thought this day would come," Ichiro said Tuesday, via interpreter Allen Turner, facing five rows of reporters and cameras in a packed news conference at T-Mobile Park. "Through all the things that have happened, to be able to be here means quite a lot. I'm just very honored. It's a special day for me to be here today."

Indeed, this day was for both Ichiro and the fans who gravitated to his gifts — who watched him field a base hit and unfurl a homing missile to cut down Terrence Long at third; who saw him slap a seeing-eye single up the middle to secure a season hits record that had stood for 84 years; who witnessed him scale a right-field fence to deny both Angels slugger Garret Anderson and gravity; who cheered as he galloped around the bases for an inside-the-park home run in the 2007 All-Star Game, beating the throw of a fellow Mariners great in Griffey.

It's a day for anyone who idolized an undersized outfielder with his first name printed above a number that won't be worn in that dugout by anyone else.

It's not for an anonymous outlier, for the 0.3%.

It's for a 51-year-old with white hair and a biting wit who, as a special assistant to the chairman, still chooses to put on that uniform. Who first visited Cooperstown in 2001 and will again for the induction ceremony this summer.

"In this day and age, there's so much stress, especially with the world we live in today. But man, there's a town just for baseball," Ichiro said of Cooperstown. "There's so many things you can gain from going there. You just feel at peace.

"I always felt the Hall of Fame was for active players. I really felt all the players need to go, and they can feel the peace that baseball brings. It's not for retired guys. It's for the active players to go and get the peace they need to keep playing."

That peace does not require a perfect vote percentage, and dwelling on the anonymous contrarian does a disservice to Ichiro.

It was not unanimous.

But unanimity doesn't matter.

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