Tim Raines, Ivan Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell Elected To Baseball Hall Of Fame
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Tim Raines' long wait for the Hall of Fame is finally over, and he'll be joined in Cooperstown by Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez.
The baseball Hall of Fame announced this year's class of inductees Wednesday, voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Raines, the longtime Montreal Expos great who won two world championships late in his career with the Yankees, received 86 percent of the vote -- 75 percent was required to get in. He was in his 10th and final year of eligibility for the Hall.
"I am extremely honored and humbled to have received the call today that I will be enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame," Raines said in a post on Twitter shortly after the announcement. "It's the perfect way to cap my 23-year career.
"When I began playing professional baseball, I just wanted to be one of the best at my position. I wasn't thinking of Cooperstown. But now that I will be inducted this summer, I am overcome with a wave of emotion and I am so excited to share this honor with my family."
Bagwell, the former Astros slugger who fell just a few percentage points short of induction last year, led this year's class with 86.2 percent. It was his seventh time on the ballot.
Rodriguez, a catcher best remembered for his years with the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers, was voted in on his first ballot, receiving 76 percent.
Rodriguez posted video of him to Twitter receiving the call about his election.
"I have no words, best call ever!" he wrote. "A dream that came true today! So thankful! Thank you thank you God bless you all."
I have no words, best call ever! A dream that came true today! So thankful! Thank you thank you God bless you all #Pudge7HOF pic.twitter.com/Od0bNONZjv
— Ivan Pudge Rodriguez (@Pudge_Rodriguez) January 18, 2017
The induction ceremony will be held July 30 in Cooperstown.
Falling just short were Trevor Hoffman (74 percent) and Vladimir Guerrero (71.7 percent). Ex-Yankees ace Roger Clemens received 54.1 percent while his former teammate, Mike Mussina, had 51.8 percent. Edgar Martinez (58.6 percent) and Barry Bonds (53.8 percent) were the only others who a majority of the voters supported.
Raines spent parts of 23 seasons in the majors, also playing for the White Sox, A's, Orioles and Marlins. He appeared in seven straight All-Star games with the Expos from 1981-87. The small-but-speedy outfielder won the National League batting title in 1986 when he hit .334 and led the league four straight seasons (1981-94) in stolen bases, a category in which he still ranks fifth all-time. Raines also led the NL twice (in 1983 and 1987) in runs scored.
Raines retired after the 2002 season with a .294 career batting average, 2,605 hits, 170 home runs and 808 stolen bases. He was a member of the Yankees' 1996 and 1998 world championship teams.
Bagwell played 15 seasons, all with Houston, batting .297 with 2,314 hits and 449 home runs. He was the 1991 National League Rookie of the Year, 1994 NL MVP and a four-time All-Star.
Rodriguez spent 20 seasons in the majors, hitting .296 with 2,844 hits and 311 homers. "Pudge" won the 1999 AL MVP with the Rangers and was a 14-time All-Star. His career also included stints with the Marlins, Astros, Yankees and Nationals.
The voters weren't deterred by steroid allegations involving Rodriguez.
He was never disciplined for PEDs, but former Texas teammate Jose Canseco alleged in a 2005 book that he injected the catcher with steroids. Asked whether he was on the list of players who allegedly tested positive for steroids during baseball's 2003 survey, Rodriguez said in 2009, "Only God knows."
Former Yankees catcher Jorge Posada received just 3.8 percent of the vote, below the 5 percent threshold to remain eligible next year.
Here are the complete results of the voting:
Jeff Bagwell 381 (86.2); Tim Raines 380 (86.0); Ivan Rodriguez 336 (76.0); Trevor Hoffman 327 (74.0); Vladimir Guerrero 317 (71.7); Edgar Martinez 259 (58.6); Roger Clemens 239 (54.1); Barry Bonds 238 (53.8); Mike Mussina 229 (51.8); Curt Schilling 199 (45.0); x-Lee Smith 151 (34.2); Manny Ramirez 105 (23.8); Larry Walker 97 (21.9); Fred McGriff 96 (21.7); Jeff Kent 74 (16.7); Gary Sheffield 59 (13.3); Billy Wagner 45 (10.2); Sammy Sosa 38 (8.6).
By receiving fewer than 23 votes (less than 5 percent), Jorge Posada 17 (3.8); Magglio Ordoñez 3 (0.7); Edgar Renteria 2 (0.5); Jason Varitek 2 (0.5); Tim Wakefield 1 (0.2); Casey Blake, Pat Burrell, Orlando Cabrera, Mike Cameron, J.D. Drew, Carlos Guillen, Derrek Lee, Melvin Mora, Arthur Rhodes, Freddy Sanchez and Matt Stairs 0 are no longer eligible for election by the BBWAA.
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