Schuerholz, Selig elected to baseball Hall of Fame

OXON HILL, Md. — Former MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who oversaw baseball’s great growth along with some of its darkest moments, and longtime general manager John Schuerholz were elected to the baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

Schuerholz was picked by all 16 voters on a veterans committee at the winter meetings in suburban Washington. Selig was listed 15 times.

It took 12 votes for election. Former player and manager Lou Piniella was third with seven.

Harold Baines, Albert Belle, Will Clark, Orel Hershiser, Davey Johnson, Mark McGwire and George Steinbrenner also were on the ballot but none got more than five votes.

Selig became the fifth of 10 commissioners to be inducted. He’ll be enshrined on July 30 in Cooperstown, N.Y. — on his 83rd birthday.

Under Selig, the playoffs expanded from four teams to 10 with wild cards and the leagues were split into three divisions. Selig also made the decision to cancel the 1994 World Series during a players’ strike, and was in charge when steroids left a cloud of performance-enhancing drugs that still lingers.

“Those were tough moments,” Selig said on a conference call.

Schuerholz was general manager of the Atlanta Braves when they won a record 14 straight division titles. He was the first GM to run teams that took World Series crowns in both leagues, winning with Kansas City in 1985 and Atlanta in 1995.

The 76-year-old Schuerholz later became president of the Braves and is now vice-chairman with the team, helping prepare for its move to Sun Trust Park next season.