Pudge's Reaction To Making The Hall Of Fame Is Absolutely Heartwarming [WATCH]

By Will Burchfield
Twitter @burchie_kid

Just how grateful was Ivan Rodriguez to be elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday?

Upon receiving the news via phone, he said "thank you" 12 times in a span of 70 seconds. (Count for yourself.) His rush of appreciation began with a triumphant raise of the fist and seemed to crest some 40 seconds later when he rubbed his eyes and said through a cracking voice, "Thank you very much."

"Bendiciones a todos," he wrote in the second caption. "Blessings to all."

Rodriguez, who made the All-Star team four times in five seasons in Detroit, became just the second catcher in baseball history to be voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. (The other was Johnny Bench in 1989.) And he needed nearly every vote he got.

Five fewer, in fact, and Pudge wouldn't have made it.

Players must appear on 75 percent of the ballots cast to gain entry into Cooperstown. This year, that meant a minimum of 332 votes. Rodriguez received 336.

Those who voted for him can rest assured Rodriguez didn't take the honor lightly.

In:
• MLB