By Damon Knight, Tribune Correspondent
The MLB held the voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday night and only two players made the cut. The votes went to former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and former right fielder of the Montreal Expos, the Colorado Rockies and the St. Louis Cardinals, Larry Walker. Jeter, 45, had 99.7% of the votes from the BBWAA, falling just one vote short of being a unanimous first-ballot Hall of Famer. However, Jeter became the 57th first-ballot Hall of Famer.
“When you start off your career, you’re never thinking about the Hall of Fame,” Jeter said. “This is the highest honor that can be given to any individual who plays this game… I never looked at it [as a foregone conclusion] because this is something that’s very difficult. You’re talking about 1% of the players who have ever played this game getting into the Hall of Fame.”
Walker, 53, had 76.6% of the votes from the BBWAA, making it past the 75% threshold in his final year of eligibility. He is the 7th player in history to get in on his final BBWAA ballot. And the second Canadian-born player to make it in the Hall — joining pitcher Ferguson Jenkins. In addition, Walker is the first player to have worn a Rockies uniform to have graced this honor.
“I barely remember the moment, I was kind of floating on air,” Walker said of his official Hall call. “A lot of things entered my head when the phone rang and as I was hearing what was being said to me. As a Canadian, that was a proud moment for me to represent my country and to be able to join Ferguson Jenkins in the Hall of Fame.”
Below, are the achievements that both Derek Jeter and Larry Walker have accomplished throughout their careers.
Jeter: 14 x All-Star (1998-2002, 2004, 2006-2012, 2014), 5 x World Series Champion (1996, 1998-2000, 2009), World Series MVP (2000), AL Rookie of the Year (1996), 5 x Golden Glove Award (2004-2006, 2009-2010), 5 x Silver Slugger Award (2006-2009,2009-2010), 2 x AL Hank Aaron Award (2006,2009), Roberto Clemente Award (2009), New York Yankees captain (2003-2014), New York Yankees No. 2 retired and a Monument Park honoree.
Walker: 5 x All-Star (1992, 1997-1999, 2001), NL MVP (1997), 7 x Gold Glove Award (1992, 1993, 1997-1999, 2001, 2002), 3 x Silver Slugger Award (1992, 1997, 1999), 3 x MLB batting champion (1998, 1999, 2001) and NL home run leader (1997).
The Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony is Friday, July 26th, in Cooperstown, New York, at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
