Right off the bat, I just want to say my predictions were right. In my previous article regarding what my mock ballot would look like, it was these four who led the way. I had all the faith in the world that these guys would get in and thankfully, the BBWAA agreed.
We witnessed history on Tuesday January 22nd, folks. Mariano Rivera, the greatest relief pitcher of all time, was voted in unanimously. Every single writer agreed that there was absolutely no way Mo should have been left off the ballot. We did have a scare with that one writer who had stated he wasn’t voting for Mo simply because he felt that the save was not a legitimate stat, but luckily, he came to his senses. Never did I think we would see a unanimous election. I had no faith that the writers would ever give someone that distinction once Ken Griffey Jr. didn’t get 100%. There always seems to be those select few writers who will leave off a guy who we know should get 100% so they can give that vote to someone else who could use it or to get their 15 minutes of fame. But in the end, they got it right and the Sandman is going to Cooperstown uncontested!
The prolific designated hitter of the 1990s and early 2000s will finally get to hear his name called. Edgar Martinez was left on this ballot for far too long. He makes it in on his tenth and final year, but he should have been there quite some time ago. Aside from Griffey and Ichiro, there’s only one other player that comes to mind when I think of Mariner greats and it’s Edgar. This summer will be well worth the wait to see the DH. Congrats Edgar!
It’s very unfortunate that Roy Halladay will not be able to celebrate this honor with his family this July. And for those who may think that this was nothing more than a sympathy vote, you better head over to Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or wherever you go for your stats and see what Doc did over the course of his career. The man was a workhorse who quickly became one of the most feared pitchers in baseball during his 10-year peak from 2002 to 2012. To his wife Brandy and sons Braden and Ryan, congratulations. Your husband and father will forever be remembered in our hearts and in upstate New York.
Some see Mike Mussina as a pretty good pitcher, but not Hall of Fame worthy. I disagree. Moose was one of the more dominant pitchers of the Steroid Era. He put up Hall of Fame numbers while pitching during this era, in two hitters’ ballparks in Camden Yards and old Yankee Stadium, and in the American League East. Let’s also not forget that beautiful knuckle-curve of his. Nothing but a tip of the cap to Moose on his election to baseball immortality.
All I can say is that I am thankful enough that I was able to watch each one of these greats play. All of them are deserving of enshrinement into the fraternity that is the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Congratulations to these men and their families on a day that they will surely never forget.
