Mariano Rivera to enter Baseball Hall of Fame
Still no place in Cooperstown for Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa
Wednesday 23 January 2019 08:59, UK
Former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has become the first player to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame unanimously.
Rivera appeared on all 425 ballots sent in by Baseball Writers' Association of America voters, one of four players to be elected on Monday, along with former team-mate Mike Mussina, Edgar Martinez and Roy Halladay.
Until Rivera's unanimous election, Ken Griffey Jr had been the highest percentage vote-getter when he was included in 437 of 440 ballots in 2016.
"This was just beyond my imagination," said Rivera, widely regarded as the best closer in baseball history with 652 saves across 19 years, and a dominant force in the post-season.
"Just to be considered a Hall of Famer is an honour, but to be unanimous is just amazing."
Seattle Mariners designated hitter Martinez received 85.4 per cent support, the same figure as former Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Halladay, who died in 2017 when the plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.
Like Rivera, Halladay's name was appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.
Mussina polled 76.7 per cent of the vote, receiving just seven more votes than he needed to secure his place in Cooperstown.
Among the household names still waiting for a Hall of Fame place are Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, who received 59.5 per cent of votes cast, and San Francisco Giants home-run record holder Barry Bonds who was on the ballot of 59.1 per cent of voters.
Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa who, like Clemens and Bonds, has been dogged by steroid accusations received only 36 votes (8.5 per cent).
