Congratulations Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2019

Baseball inducted six new members into its Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY this afternoon.  The class is comprised of Mike Mussina, the late Roy Halladay, Harold Baines, Edgar Martinez, Lee Smith and Mariano Rivera.

I have written previously of my experiences watching Baines and Smith.  While they did not make it initially on their retirement, they were selected by the Today's Game Era committee in December. Both posted numbers worthy of Hall of Fame induction.  Smith's arrival was delayed for several years because of his role as a closer.  Baines' admission was delayed by the long overdue consideration of designated heroes.

Lee Smith's HOF plaque pictures him in a Chicago Cubs cap.  But, he also spoke fondly of his years with the Cardinals.  He thanked his former manager with the Redbirds, Joe Torre, for the guidance and direction he received while playing in St.Louis.  He also spoke highly of Cardinal fans saying they were always supportive of him during his three and a half years with the Cardinals.

I don't ever recall seeing Mike Mussina pitch in person but I saw him throw on TV many times. I can recall him battling in the World Series against the Diamondbacks in 2001 and the Marlins in 2003. In all Mussina pitched in 16 post season series and won seven games.  That may not be a lot but each of those were big wins for the Yankees. During his long career with the Orioles and Yankees he started 536 games and won 270 of them while striking out over 2800 batters along the way.

Roy Halladay joined the Hall posthumously following his retirement after the 2013 season from the Philadelphia Phillies.  He died an untimely death when the plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico in November 2017.  Halladay's widow Brandy Halladay accepted her late husband's plaque at the induction ceremony.  In an emotional speech she thanked the Hall for voting her husband into baseball immortality.  I had the good fortune to see Halladay pitch in person at Busch Stadium III when he was a Phillie. He gave my beloved Cardinals fits.  But, there were a number of pitching gems when he battled against his former buddy Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals.  The Cardinals managed to win afew times including a classic in the 2011 NLDS.  Halladay posted 203 wins in 16 seasons with the Bluejays and Phils.  He also posted over 21 hundred strikeouts.

From the sounds of the induction ceremony there were a large number of fans from the Pacific Northwest who traveled across the country to Cooperstown to see Edgar Martinez go into the Hall.  I was fortunate to see Martinez play in person for the Mariners in the old King Dome in Seattle when visiting friends who lived there in the early 90's.  Martinez had one of the sweetest swings I ever saw and he drove the ball with authority.  Combined with his speed he led the American League in doubles twice.  Once in 1992 and again in 1995.  But, his best year may have been 2000 when he drove in an amazing 145 runs. I also remember seeing two of the most exciting players in the same lineup when he and Ken Griffey, Jr. played together for over ten years.  Junior is already a member of the Hall having been inducted in 2016.

And last but not least the Hall inducted Mariano Rivera this afternoon.  I got to see Rivera play one time in person against the Cardinals but oh what a performance it was. In June 2005 the Yankees were at Busch Stadium II.  At the time I was not a fan of inter-league play.  To be honest I am still not a fan of it.  But, I was fortunate because I saw two future Hall of Famers pitch for the Yankees that afternoon.  Randy Johnson, who was inducted in 2015, pitched the first 7 innings before giving way to Tom "Flash" Gordon in the eighth.  Gordon allowed two runners and with two out Rivera came in for a four out save opportunity.  He struck out Larry Walker to end the inning.  In the 9th he got future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols to foul out to first and then struck out Reggie Sanders and Mark Grudzielanek to record his 14th save of the season.  In his speech this afternoon Rivera also gave thanks to his former manager Joe Torre.  One final note Rivera is the only player to be elected to the Hall unanimously on the first ballot.

Congratulations to all six 2019 Hall of Famers and their families!

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