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2015 Hall of Fame Inductees Enshrined - Biggio, Randy, Pedro, & Smoltz

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  • 2015 Hall of Fame Inductees Enshrined - Biggio, Randy, Pedro, & Smoltz

    The Baseball Writers Association of America revealed the results from the 2015 Baseball Hall of Fame vote. This time around, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio were elected. They will be officially inducted at the ceremony on July 26 as part of the Hall of Fame Induction Weekend on July 24-27.

    This is only the fourth time in history at least four players were elected into the Hall via the BBWAA vote and it's the first time it happened since 1955.

    Johnson received 97.3 percent of the vote, with Martinez not far behind at 91.1. The record-high percentage is 98.84, which Tom Seaver received in 1992.

    Smoltz got 82.9 while Biggio grabbed 82.7 in his third try. The other three inductees are now officially first-ballot Hall of Famers.

    Johnson, 51, pitched in parts of 22 seasons in the majors. He went 303-166 with a 3.29 ERA (135 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP and 4875 strikeouts in 4135 1/3 innings. He won five Cy Young awards and finished second in the voting three other times. He led the league in strikeouts nine times, ERA four times, WHIP three times, wins once and winning percentage four times, among other stats. He was the co-MVP of the 2001 World Series, when his Diamondbacks beat the dynasty Yankees in an epic seven-game series.

    Martinez, 43, was 219-100 in parts of 18 seasons. He had a 2.93 ERA (best-ever 154 ERA+ among starters), 1.05 WHIP and 3154 strikeouts in 2827 1/3 innings. He won three Cy Youngs and finished second two other times. He topped his league in ERA five times, WHIP six times, strikeouts three times, wins once and winning percentage three times, among other rate stats (like hit rate five times). He won a World Series ring with the 2004 Red Sox.

    Smoltz, 47, is the only man in baseball history with over 200 wins and 150 saves. He was a two-time All-Star as a closer and went six times as a starter, winning the 1996 Cy Young. In parts of 21 seasons, he was 213-155 with a 3.33 ERA (125 ERA+), 1.18 WHIP and 3084 strikeouts in 3473 innings. He had 154 saves in 169 chances, a 91 percent clip. In the postseason, Smoltz went 15-4 with a 2.67 ERA and four saves in 209 innings.

    This is the second straight year that three players have made it into the Hall of Fame on their first ballot.

    Biggio, 49, seemed headed here eventually, getting 68.2 percent of the vote in 2013 and 74.8 percent last year. The seven-time All-Star ranks 21st in career hits at 3060 and fifth in doubles with a whopping 668. He's also 15th in runs (1844), 33rd in total bases, 66th in stolen bases (414). Thanks to being 66th in walks, 21st in hits and second all-time in hit-by-pitches, it's not surprising to see Biggio ranking 18th in times on base. Even as a table-setter, Biggio's 292 homers and 1175 RBI are impressive. His career slash line is .281/.363/.433.

    Total vote breakdown, thanks to bbwaa.com (above 75 percent needed for election, with below five percent meaning the player falls off the ballot)

    Johnson, 97.3 percent
    Martinez, 91.1
    Smoltz, 82.9
    Biggio, 82.7

    -----

    Mike Piazza, 69.9
    Jeff Bagwell, 55.7
    Tim Raines, 55
    Curt Schilling, 39.2
    Roger Clemens, 37.5
    Barry Bonds, 36.8
    Lee Smith, 30.2
    Edgar Martinez, 27
    Alan Trammell, 25.1
    Mike Mussina, 24.6
    Jeff Kent, 14
    Fred McGriff, 12.9
    Larry Walker, 11.8
    Gary Sheffield, 11.7
    Mark McGwire, 10
    Don Mattingly, 9.1
    Sammy Sosa, 6.6
    Nomar Garciaparra, 5.5

    -----

    Carlos Delgado, 3.8
    Troy Percival, 0.7
    Aaron Boone, 0.4
    Tom Gordon, 0.4
    Darin Erstad, 0.2
    Rich Aurillia, 0
    Tony Clark, 0
    Jermaine Dye, 0
    Cliff Floyd, 0
    Brian Giles, 0
    Eddie Guardado, 0
    Jason Schmidt, 0

    Mattingly also falls off the ballot, as this was his 15th and final chance.
    By Matt Snyder | Baseball Writer
    Trading for all Cleveland teams in Cleveland uniforms, Cleveland minor league affiliates & Columbus Bluejackets

  • #2
    Pedro Martinez, Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame

    COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio have been added to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

    Martinez was inducted into the Hall of Fame after a career in which he helped the Boston Red Sox end their World Series jinx.

    The hard-throwing right-hander joins former Giants ace Juan Marichal as the only natives of the Dominican Republic in the Hall, although Martinez expressed confidence that more would join in the near future.

    Martinez won three Cy Young Awards and finished with a 219-100 record over 18 years, a winning percentage of .687. He won five ERA titles and had a career mark of 2.93. His 3,154 strikeouts rank 13th on the career list.

    Martinez went 16-9 in 2004 and helped the Red Sox win the World Series for the first time since 1918. He pitched seven shutout innings in Game 3 on the road in St. Louis. Martinez also pitched for the Dodgers, Montreal, the New York Mets and Philadelphia.

    Johnson, the towering left-hander nicknamed the Big Unit, played 22 seasons in the major leagues and led his league in strikeouts nine times. He also earned four ERA titles and recorded 100 complete games and 37 shutouts.

    His 4,875 strikeouts rank No. 2 behind Nolan Ryan's 5,714, and his 10.61 strikeouts per nine innings is tops on the career list.

    Johnson reached the pinnacle of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2001, he went 21-6 in the regular season and 3-0 in the World Series against the New York Yankees, sharing MVP honors with Curt Schilling and leading Arizona to the title in the team's fourth year of existence.

    Smoltz, the right-hander who starred for the Braves, joins two other pitchers from those great Atlanta teams who were entered the Hall last year -- Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine.

    Smoltz was a starter and reliever during his 21-year career. He finished with a 213-155 record, 154 saves, 3,084 strikeouts and a 3.33 ERA. He won 14 or more games 10 times and twice led the National League in wins (1996 and 2006), innings pitched (1996 and 1997) and strikeouts (1992 and 1996).

    The Detroit native is the only man to make the Hall after having Tommy John surgery. Smoltz also is the only Braves player to be part of the franchise's entire run of 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 to 2005.

    Biggio, the multitalented native of Smithtown, New York, on Long Island, was enshrined on Sunday, becoming the first Houston Astro to make the Hall of Fame.

    The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Biggio earned All-Star honors as both a catcher and a second baseman in 20 years with the Astros. He is the only player in major league history with at least 3,000 hits, 600 doubles, 400 stolen bases and 250 home runs.

    Biggio scored 1,844 runs, 15th on the career list, slammed 291 home runs and stole 414 bases. He also was hit by a pitch 285 times, second all time, and played both center and left field. He finished his career with 668 doubles and had more than 1,000 extra-base hits.

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