The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ALSO INSIDE
Former Tigers stars picked by Modern Era Committee.
Former Tigers stars Trammell, Morris to be reunited in Hall,
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. — Fittingly, Jack Morris reached the Hall of Fame in extra innings.
Morris was elected to the Hall by its Modern Era Committee on Sunday along with former Detroit Tigers teammate Alan Trammell, completing a joint journey from Motown to Cooperstown.
The big-game pitcher and star shortstop were picked by 16 voters who considered 10 candidates whose biggest contributions came from 1970-87. Morris got 14 votes and Trammell drew 13, one more than the minimum needed.
They will be enshrined on July 29, and fitting they’ll go in together. They both began their big league careers in 1977 with Detroit and played 13 seasons alongside each other with the Tigers.
“The time that I’ve spent wondering if this day would ever come seems to be vanished and erased right now because it did come, and it’s amazing,” the 62-year-old Morris said during a conference call.
Trammell felt overwhelmed.
“I came to the realization that it might not happen, and I was OK with that. I really was,” he said. “If people thought it was a tad short, I could live with that.”
Former catcher Ted Simmons fell one vote shy, and former players’ union head Marvin Miller was five short of the 12 needed.
“It’s not a big surprise,” Miller’s son, Peter, said from Japan. “I think my father’s place in history is understood by all baseball players, all baseball fans and the general public.”
Morris had 254 wins and seven more in the postseason, including his 10-inning shutout in a 1-0 win for Minnesota over Atlanta in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.
“No question it was my defining moment in baseball,” Morris said. “I never thought I was in trouble and I knew I could get out of it if I was. So I had the best mindset I’ve ever had in my entire career on that night.”
Morris also pitched for World Series winners in Detroit — with Trammell, in 1984 — and Toronto in 1992. His 3.90 career ERA tops Red Ruffing’s 3.80 as the highest of any pitcher in the Hall.
“For years my earned-run average has been an issue for a lot of people that thought it was not good enough for Hall of Fame honors, but I never once thought about pitching for an ERA. I always thought about completing games, starting games, eating up innings and trying to win games more importantly than anything else,” he said.
His 175 complete games included 20 in 1983. The entire big league total this year was 59, and no pitcher had more than five
Now 59, Trammell was a steady presence in the middle of the diamond while playing all 20 of his seasons in Detroit.
Trammell was the 1984 World Series MVP, hitting .450 as the Tigers trounced San Diego in five games.
A six-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glover, Trammell scored 1,231 runs and drove in 1,003. He batted .285 with 185 home runs.
Cardinals: A deal reportedly was reached with reliever Luke Gregerson, worth $11 million for two years. The right-hander, 33, struck out 70 in 61 innings for Houston last season, going 2-3 with a career-high 4.57 ERA in 65 relief appearances.