July 24, 2019

On Sunday, July 21, the Major League Baseball (MLB) greats Harold Baines, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martínez, Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera, and Lee Smith were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Rivera, the MLB career leader in saves, was the first player unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame, having received 100 percent of the possible votes in his first year of eligibility. Halladay, an outstanding starting pitcher who died in an airplane crash in 2017, was also elected on the first try. Voters named him on 85 percent of the ballots, well above the 75 percent required for election. Martínez, a slugging infielder and designated hitter, made the Hall with 85 percent of the vote on his tenth and final time on the ballot. Mussina, another starting pitcher, earned 77 percent of the vote on his sixth try. The former pitcher Lee Smith and the outfielder-designated hitter Harold Baines were elected in December 2018 by the Modern Baseball Era Committee. Joining the players were the broadcaster Al Helfer and the sportswriter Jayson Stark.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum honors players and other individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the sport. It is located in Cooperstown, New York. Credit: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Some 55,000 people packed the grass field outside the Hall of Fame’s Clark Sports Center, where a ceremony initiates the exclusive club’s newest members each year. On stage with the newcomers were 53 members elected in previous years and decades. “Moose” Mussina was the first to take the stage and deliver an acceptance speech. Mussina pitched 18 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees from 1991 to 2008. A durable and consistent winner, Mussina started at least 24 games, pitched at least 150 innings, and had at least 11 wins from 1992 to the end of his career. He led the AL in wins in 1995 (19), made five All-Star teams, won seven Gold Gloves as his league’s best fielding pitcher, and reached the 20-win mark for the first time in 2008, his last season in the majors. Mussina retired with 270 wins and a career 3.68 earned run average (ERA).

National Baseball Hall of Fame logo.
Credit: © National Baseball Hall Of Fame

Up next was Brandy Halladay, who represented her late husband, Roy. “Doc” Halladay pitched 16 seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies from 1998 to 2013. Halladay stumbled through his first few MLB seasons, but he harnessed his talent in 2002 with a 19-7 record and a 2.81 ERA. In 2003, he won 22 games and the Cy Young Award as his league’s best pitcher. Halladay went on to make eight All-Star teams and win a second Cy Young Award in 2010. Injuries hampered his last seasons and he retired with 203 wins, 67 complete games, 20 shutouts, and a career 3.38 ERA.

Harold Baines then spoke for 10 minutes, a lengthy time for the soft-spoken slugger. Baines played 22 MLB seasons from 1980 to 2001. He spent the majority of his career with the Chicago White Sox, but he logged significant time with four other teams during his long career. Baines played outfield before transitioning into a full-time designated hitter. A remarkably consistent and productive hitter, Baines hit 20 or more home runs 12 times and drove in 80 or more runs 11 times. He made six All-Star teams and retired with 2,866 hits, 384 home runs, 1,628 RBI’s (runs batted in), and a career .289 batting average.

Edgar Martínez took the podium after Baines. Martínez played 18 seasons with the Seattle Mariners from 1987 to 2004. He did not earn regular playing time until 1990, when he started at third base and hit .302. Two years later, he hit .343 to win the American League (AL) batting title. In 1995, by then primarily a designated hitter, Martínez led the league in hitting again with a stout .356 average. He went on to hit .312 for his career, during which he was named to seven All-Star teams. He retired with 2,247 hits, 309 home runs, and an outstanding career on-base percentage of .418.

Lee Smith, a dominant closing pitcher, took the role of set-up man at Sunday’s ceremonies. Smith played 18 seasons from 1980 to 1997. Known best for his early years with the Chicago Cubs, Smith pitched for seven other teams during his career. Smith led the National League (NL) in saves in 1983 (29) and averaged 33 saves his next four seasons with the Cubs. Pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals, Smith led the NL in saves in 1991 (47) and 1992 (43). In 1994, at age 36, he led the AL in saves (33) with the Baltimore Orioles. Smith retired with a career 3.03 ERA and a then-MLB record 478 saves, a mark that was later passed by Mariano Rivera—who fittingly wrapped up the day’s speeches.

In 2019, Mariano Rivera became the first player unanimously voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Credit: © Scott Anderson, Dreamstime

Rivera, the greatest closing pitcher in MLB history, played 19 seasons for the Yankees from 1995 to 2013. Rivera started 10 games his rookie season, but quickly shifted to the bullpen, where he became the team’s regular closer in 1997. Rivera saved 43 games that season, and went on to record at least 28 saves in 15 consecutive seasons (averaging 40 over that period). He retired as the all-time career leader in saves (652). Rivera made 13 All-Star teams, was a key part of five Yankees World Series titles, and posted a sparkling 2.21 career ERA.

Major League Baseball (MLB) Logo.
Credit: © Major League Baseball

Al Helfer, who called games for eight MLB teams from 1933 through 1969, joined the Hall of Fame as the 2019 winner of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters. Jayson Stark, a beat writer for the Phillies for 20 seasons before covering baseball for ESPN and then The Athletic online magazine, earned entry as the 2019 winner of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award “for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.”

Hall of Fame voting is based upon a player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played. Votes are cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, which consists of writers with 10 consecutive years of service in the association. To be eligible, ballplayers must have spent at least 10 seasons in the majors and been retired for 5 years (exceptions are made in the case of severe injury or sudden death, such as with Roberto Clemente). Eligible players remain on the Hall of Fame ballot for 10 years, after which they can gain entry only though the select eras committees. The eras committees, made up of former executives, managers, players, and umpires, also choose nonplayers such as Helfer and Stark for entry into the Hall of Fame.

August 2, 2017

On Sunday, July 30, Major League Baseball (MLB) greats Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Iván Rodríguez were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Bagwell, a slugging first baseman, was elected in his seventh year of eligibility. Voters named him on 86 percent of the ballots, easing him above the 75 percent required for election. Raines, one of the game’s greatest lead-off men, also earned 86 percent of the vote. It was the 10th and final year of eligibility for Raines (see final paragraph for Hall of Fame eligibility rules). Rodríguez, earning his way on the first try (a rare honor), was the game’s premier catcher during his long tenure in the big leagues. Long-time executive John Schuerholz and former commissioner and team owner Bud Selig were also enshrined in the Hall of Fame on Sunday.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, honors players and other individuals who made outstanding contributions to the sport. Credit: © Andre Jenny, Alamy Images

Bagwell, an awesome power hitter with a trademark wide stance at the plate, played 15 seasons for the Houston Astros. He was the 1991 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year (an annual award for the best first-year player), and in the strike-shortened 1994 season, Bagwell hit .368 with 39 homers and 116 runs batted in (RBI’s) in just 110 games to earn the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. He also earned a Gold Glove award that season as the NL’s best defensive first baseman. From 1996 through 2001, Bagwell put up staggering offensive numbers, averaging at least 30 home runs, 100 runs scored, and 100 RBI’s. The slugger’s career came to a quick end with shoulder injuries after 2005, a season in which he helped the Astros to their first and only World Series appearance.

Raines, an outfielder whose consistency and physique earned him the nickname “Rock,” first tasted the majors in 1979 with the Montreal Expos. In his first full season in 1981 (the only other MLB season shortened by a player strike), Raines hit .304, paced the NL with 71 stolen bases, and made the first of seven consecutive All-Star teams. He continued to hit, steal bases, and score runs until his retirement after the 2002 season at age 42. After his run with the Expos, Raines spent significant time with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.

Hall of Fame catcher Iván Rodríguez played four full seasons for the Detroit Tigers. Credit: © Pete Hoffman, Shutterstock

Rodríguez, a native of Puerto Rico, came to the big leagues as a 19-year-old prospect for the Texas Rangers in 1991. In an abbreviated rookie season, he showed off dazzling defensive skills, a potent bat, and a cannon of an arm. The following year, his first full season, he earned the first of 14 All-Star appearances and 13 Gold Gloves. Rodríguez dominated the game at the plate, from behind it, and even on the bases. In his greatest season in 1999, Rodríguez hit .332 with 35 home runs, 113 RBI’s, 116 runs scored, and 25 stolen bases. He edged out (now fellow) Hall of Famers Roberto Alomar and Pedro Martinez as that year’s American League MVP. Known affectionately as “Pudge” (a somewhat chubby reference borrowed from Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk), Rodríguez played 21 seasons with the Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Yankees, and Washington Nationals.

John Schuerholz served as general manager of the Kansas City Royals from 1981 though 1990. He then ran a talented Atlanta Braves team through the 2007 season. Both the Royals and Braves won a World Series under his leadership. Allan “Bud” Selig brought MLB back to Milwaukee with the Brewers in 1970 (the Braves had played there from 1953 through 1965). Selig owned the Brewers into the early 1990′s, when MLB turbulence pushed him into the role of commissioner. Selig oversaw some dramatic changes as MLB’s chief executive, a position he held until 2015.

Hall of Fame voting is based upon a player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played. Votes are cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, which consists of writers with 10 consecutive years of service in the association. To be eligible, ballplayers must have spent at least 10 seasons in the majors and been retired for 5 years (exceptions are made in the case of severe injury or sudden death, such as with Roberto Clemente). Eligible players remain on the Hall of Fame ballot for 10 years, after which they can gain entry only though the select Eras Committee (formerly the Veterans Committee)—a rare occurrence. The Eras Committee, made up of former executives, managers, players, and umpires, also chooses nonplayers such as Schuerholz and Selig for entry into the Hall of Fame.