Rivera first unanimous baseball HOF electee
Rivera unanimously elected in most diverse Hall class
Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina will join him in Cooperstown
It was only fitting that closer Mariano Rivera, the last player to wear Jackie Robinson’s uniform number, was the one to break the barrier that lasted 83 years, becoming the first player to be unanimously elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame.
“This is beyond my imagination, just amazing to be the first player to be unanimous,” said Rivera, who wore No. 42 in honor of Robinson, who integrated baseball in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. “I can’t even put in words how to describe it.”
It was a momentous day Tuesday with DH Edgar Martinez and starters Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina joining Rivera in the most diverse Hall of Fame class in its history.
This year’s induction class has a reliever from Panama, a DH from Puerto Rico, a starter who spent most of his career in Canada, a Stanford graduate who played his entire career in the American League East, along with two African-Americans (closer Lee Smith and DH Harold Baines) elected last month by the Modern Day Era committee.
“It makes it very special for us,” Martinez said, “especially with Mariano becoming the first to be unanimous.”
The next player to be a unanimous selection might be a year from now with former Yankees teammate Derek Jeter expected to garner every vote in his first year on the ballot.
“The thing I respect most about Mo is that what you see is what you get,” Jeter said in a statement. “There’s no ‘persona’ with Mariano. He’s never had a character that he portrayed. He’s always just calmly and coolly done his thing. He’s quiet. Thoughtful. Intense. He’s a man of faith.”
And simply the greatest of all time with a record 652 saves, a five-time World Series champion who might be the greatest player to wear a Yankees uniform since Babe Ruth.
“It’s humbling to think of the incredible journey that Mariano has had over the course of his life,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said, “his unassuming beginnings in a Panamanian fishing village to pitching for the Yankees under the brightest lights with the world watching. I speak for every Yankees fan when I say how fortunate we were to have had him on our side for so long.
“Clearly his World Series rings and longtime statistical dominance testify to his standing among the greats to ever play our sport. But no matter how big a star he became, he never failed to carry himself with unerring professionalism and class. Mo was always someone who I could point to and say, ‘That’s what a Yankee should be like.’ ”
The most heartbreaking facet of the day was that Brandy Halladay, and not her late husband, Roy, was the one who received word that he was elected to Cooperstown two years after dying in a plane crash. He becomes the first player to be inducted posthumously by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America since Roberto Clemente, who was elected by a special election in 1973.
“Being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame is every boy’s dream,” Brandy Halladay said in a statement. “To stand on that stage in Cooperstown and deliver your acceptance speech in front of baseball’s most enthusiastic fans is something that every baseball player aspires to achieve, and Roy was no exception. But that was not Roy’s goal. It was not his goal to have those three letters after his signature. His goal was to be successful every single day of his 16-year career. If only Roy were here to personally express his gratitude for this honor, what an even more amazing day this would be.”
The Phillies vow to be in Cooperstown, New York, July 21 to celebrate his legacy and support the Halladay family, reminding everyone just what he meant to their organization.
“One of the great pleasures of my career was being able to play behind a man like Roy Halladay,” former Phillies AllStar second baseman Chase Utley said. “He was fierce. He was competitive. He was focused. But most of all, he was great. Not just a great player but also a great teammate and a great friend.”
Said former Phillies All-Star shortstop Jimmy Rollins: “The days Doc would take the ball you knew you had to be your very best because there was zero doubt in anyone’s mind that you would receive anything less from him. When Roy decided to come to Philadelphia, it was for one reason, to win a championship, and we wanted nothing more than to share in that moment of glory with him. Anyone that has ever heard the name Roy Halladay wishes he were here for us all to celebrate this moment of greatness and give thanks for the many memories he gave us on the playing field.”
The other Hall of Fame electees, while celebrating the greatest honor of their careers, also made sure to express their sympathy to the Halladay family.
The election of four players clears a crowded ballot beginning next year, with Jeter the only new player who will be ensured of induction, giving hope to starter Curt Schilling, 60.9 percent, who recently was endorsed by President Donald Trump; and Larry Walker, 54.6 percent, in his final year of eligibility.
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who have been the poster players of the ster- oid era, received only a slight nudge in the balloting to 59 percent. They have three years left of eligibility but likely need to receive at least 65 percent next year to give them a legitimate shot.
That’s an argument for next year. This year’s election puts an end to the tireless question of whether a player will ever be unanimously elected. Rivera, who else, made history again. Note: Nightengale is a voting member of the BBWAA.