News / Sports
Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame; Mark McGwire Not Even Close
Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. were both officially elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier today. Gwynn received 97.6 percent of the vote while Ripken tallied 98.53 percent.
Gwynn spent his entire 20-year career in relative obscurity playing for the San Diego Padres. Had he played in a larger market or for a better team Gwynn’s name would be at the top of the list when talking about the greatest hitters over the last 70 years. Gwynn totaled eight batting titles, hit over .309 in 19 consecutive season, and was hitting .394 in 1994 when the strike stopped baseball. He finished his career with a .338 batting average and a surprising 319 career stolen bases. Gwynn was next to impossible to strike out as well. Of his 9,288 official at-bats Gwynn went down on strikes just 434 times.
Cal Ripken Jr. made every baseball fan learn a new number, 2,632. While Ripken earned the title as baseball’s new Iron Man he may have earned the title as baseball savior as well. Ripken’s record setting performance came on the heels of the 1994-95 baseball strike that left fans disenchanted with the game, Ripken’s efforts brought the fans back.
Ripken helped redefine the shortstop position as well. His 6’4” frame and ability to hit for power and average was considered an oddity in baseball for a shortstop. He picked up two MVP Awards in his 21-year career and finished with a .276 batting average, 431 career home runs, 3,184 hits, and 1,695 career RBI’s
Falling just short of the required 75 percent and earning a spot in Cooperstown was Goose Gossage who finished with 71.2 percent.
Mark McGwire, on the ballot for the first time, picked up only 23.5 percent of the vote.
The induction ceremonies for Gwynn and Riken will be held July 29 in Cooperstown, NY.
