Ken Griffery Jr., left, reverses his cap after donning it backwards at a press conference announcing that he and Mike Piazza have been elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, in NY.
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Griffey received 437 out of the 440 votes and surpassed Tom Seaver’s 98.84 percentage when he was voted in back in 1992.
How else can we explain Griffey’s being left off three ballots and David Eckstein getting on two of them?
“I can’t be upset”.
It is a sentimental honor that isn’t without coincidence or meaning to Griffey.
Griffey’s whirlwind following his election to the Hall of Fame earlier this week came to an appropriate end on Friday night when he walked along a red carpet inside Safeco Field with staff of the Seattle Mariners lining both sides and applauding the newest member in Cooperstown.
“I feel like the fans here truly brought me into their family”, Piazza said. Trevor Hoffman, on the ballot for the first time, was 34 short.
The two inductees made the announcement during a news conference on Thursday.
Seven-time Cy Young victor Roger Clemens, linked to PED use, was named on 45.2 percent.
It was Piazza’s fourth try at the Hall and he was elected by 83 percent of the voters, a solid showing for the man who hit more home runs as a catcher, 396, than anyone else. “It really affected my dad”, Griffey Jr. said 20 years ago of the Yankee way. Thome’s first appearance on the ballot will be in 2018. Edgar Martinez, a potential future Hall of Famer, would be another. Piazza wrapped up his 16-year career with a total of 427 home runs and an impressive. After reaching the major leagues in 1989, he was selected for 11 consecutive All-Star Games in 1990.
Not anymore. They’re headed to Cooperstown together.
Setting a new record that will likely never be topped with 99.3 percent of the votes, The Kid once again showed that if you do things the right way, even when the world is expected of you, you can win over several generations. “The one time I wanted to go in there, I wanted to be a member”. After 8½ seasons with the Reds, he was dealt to the Chicago White Sox, then went back to the Mariners for his last season-plus. His local Manhattan firehall, Ladder 3, had lost 12 firefighters; one of them, Mike Carroll, called Piazza his favorite player. Piazza eclipsed the previous mark set by pitcher John Smoltz, who was chosen in the 22nd round in 1985.
The duo put on their home run derby four years after a players-owners labor conflict led to cancellation of the 1994 postseason and helped revitalize fan interest.
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But the elder Griffey did not get much of an opportunity to see his son play during his high school years because while he played at the famed Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, the elder Griffey was still in the majors.
