Former pitching greats John Smoltz, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez join star second baseman Craig Biggio in the 2015 induction class. Smoltz, Johnson and Martinez were elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America in their first year of eligibility, while Biggio was voted in in his third year. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J.
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I have included just 10 photos of Smoltz but just one photo of the other entrants. Still, “The Big Unit” needed time before everything clicked.
He’s now a special assistant to the Astros general manager.
The first Red Sox pitcher to be enshrined, Martinez signed for seven seasons that would endear him forever to the Boston faithful. He pitched with the Dodgers and Expos – where he won his first Cy Young Award in 1997 – before his best years, a seven-season stint with the Red Sox in which he won 117 games, two Cy Youngs and helped Boston snap an 86-year World Series title drought in 2004.
Smoltz. who attended Lansing Waverly High, is the first player elected to the Hall of Fame with Tommy John elbow surgery on his résumé. He is the only pitcher in MLB history to record 200 or more wins (213) and 150 or more saves (154), and also won the 1996 National League Cy Young Award. He was 15-4 in the postseason during a 21-year career spent nearly entirely with the Braves after being drafted by Detroit.
The Baseball Hall of Fame has been the subject of major controversy over the years for allowing some players in that might not totally deserve to be there while blocking others who probably deserve induction from getting in.
A native of Long Island, N.Y., Biggio was a first-round pick by the Houston Astros in 1987. He appeared in all 162 games and made his second All-Star team. Biggio, the first Astro elected to the Hall of Fame, said wwitching from catcher to second base in 1992 was the hardest part of his career.
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“We zipped up the catcher’s gear and didn’t look back”, Biggio said. I believed in myself and we made it work.
