Brian T. Smith on Bagwell honoring his dad: “You brought me to love this game.”

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — It was for Ken Caminiti, Darryl Kile and all those who left the world too soon.

The little-known clubhouse attendants called out by name on a national stage. Craig Biggio, who was finally joined by his baseball brother in the Hall of Fame. And all those proud Astros believers, who fell so hard for the franchise’s greatest slugger during the best years the team ever saw, then had to publicly keep backing him when suspicion and doubt set in.

But no name was mentioned as often as Robert Bagwell’s on

Sunday.

Jeff Bagwell began his induction speech by honoring his father. He connected the Red Sox with the Astros and Killingworth, Conn., with Houston by constantly mentioning his dad. And when the words were over and the man who prefers to remain a mystery was done opening up — “Y’all from Houston, you know I don’t like all this attention,” Bagwell said — he brought it all back to the man who helped make him a Hall of Famer.

“There’s something about a dad for a son that plays baseball. You brought me to love this game of baseball,” said Bagwell, who became the second true Astro to enter the Hall as part of the 2017 class. “You used to say that you gave me your right arm throwing me batting practice all the time — and you did. More importantly, you taught me how to be a man.”

Robert, 89, pushed himself closer to his son in the minutes before Bob Gibson, Ken Griffey Jr., Hank Aaron and Nolan Ryan crossed the stage to increasing applause. In a field covered with bright orange and dark blue, Bagwell’s father rested beneath a covered tent. As the minutes ticked down to 1:30 p.m. local time — his son a baby boy on May 27, 1968, and a new Hall of Famer on July 30, 2017 — Robert asked for a hand to hold on to, lifted himself up, left the tent, and carefully made his way to the second row.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s hard to express it,” Robert said. “I never had this dream. I never thought it would ever happen. I never expected it to happen. It just happened. … This is very special.”

Bagwell kept thanking his father, over and over again.

The ties that bind

Robert would return home from work at 6 p.m. daily, remove his shoes, then play catch and pepper with a future Hall of Famer until 7 o’clock approached. The Red Sox were turned on — Bagwell sometimes had to climb on the roof to mess with the TV antenna – and the life conversation that never ended began.

Robert’s favorite player: Ted Williams. His son’s hero: Carl Yastrzemski.

Learning the history of baseball and the depth of the modern game. A father and son finding peace and togetherness at the end of another day.

“What we were doing was spending quality time together as a family,” Bagwell said. “And if I could have given you guys anything … if you enjoyed me playing and brought our families together, then I did my job.”

For three days in small-town upstate New York, baseball heaven was taken over by Astros fans completing a circle. The wheel began June 26, 1988, when Biggio debuted for Houston’s team, and stretched wider when Bagwell first took the field April 8, 1991.

Gaudy statistics, defining national awards and the ultimate stage that was the World Series in 2005 were mentioned. The beauty of Bagwell and Biggio spending their entire careers as Astros — during a loyalty-challenged era of unthinkable salaries and constant free agency — was referred to multiple times.

“As we look down the road, it may be a while before Houston fans convene here again,” said former Astros TV voice Bill Brown. “So it’s something we need to savor and put in context, and that’s what this weekend is all about.”

All of Bagwell’s words were eventually defined by one: relationships.

Fond remembrances

Caminiti, who died in 2004: “I always want to say that his heart was too big. He was the nicest guy in the entire world.”

Kile, who passed in 2002: “There’s not one day that goes by that I don’t think about Darryl Kile.”

Biggio, who combined with Bagwell for 35 Astros years: “Craig and I just wanted to win. And we wanted to win one way, and that was the right way.”

Bagwell’s mother Janice, who kept saying “I’m overwhelmed” while glowing about her son: “Mom, you’re absolutely just the most amazing woman in the entire world.”

But Bagwell always kept coming back to his father.

There were times Bagwell considered quitting baseball. Then the drive he inherited from his father kicked in.

“He’s made me proud, and I’m so happy for him,” Robert said.

There was a kid who believed that a draft was just for war time, and there was no way in the world he would ever be taken in the fourth round by Boston in 1989. Then Bagwell returned to his dad’s house after playing in a college game, and his father threw him a Red Sox shirt.

“That was my dream, and that was what happened,” Bagwell said.

Sunday in Cooperstown, there was a lifetime Astro rolling back through a career that now completely made sense — no more waiting, suspicion fading away — and reaching out to the one man who always knew him best.

Jeff and Robert were entering the Hall of Fame together. Father and son.

“You showed me respect, how to have respect and to walk through this life as a man,” Bagwell said. “That’s something that I’m very proud of. … You are just a wonderful father, and I’m so happy that you’re here for this day for me. I know it means a lot to you. And we’re in this together, my friend.”