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2019 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Introduction

2019 Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

On Sunday, July 21st, 2019, six legendary Major League Baseball players were enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The 2019 baseball HOF class includes Mike Mussina, Roy Halladay, Harold Baines, Edgar Martinez, Lee Smith, and Mariano Rivera.

There is no better time than now to take a look at all six of these amazing athletes and their careers that have had such a significant impact on the great American past time of Major League Baseball.

Mike Mussina

This starting pitcher from Montoursville, Pennsylvania made his mark in Major League Baseball with two teams throughout his professional baseball career. Mussina was with the Baltimore Orioles from 1991 – 2000, and then he pitched for the New York Yankees from 2001 – 2008. He chose not to have a logo on his Hall of Fame plaque as he couldn’t decide between the two ball clubs that he spent close to equal time with.

Mussina’s first ballot was in 2014 in which he got a 20.3 vote percentage from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, but this year he received a 76.7 percent of vote pushing him just past the required 75 percent. He was a five-time MLB All Star (1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999) and was honored for his fielding with 7 Gold Glove Awards (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2008). He led the big leagues in wins in 1995 as well.

“I was never fortunate enough to win a Cy Young Award or to be a World Series champion,” Mussina stated. “I didn’t win 300 games or strike out 3,000 batters. And while my opportunities for those achievements are in the past, today I get to become a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Maybe I was saving up from all of those ‘almost’ achievements for one last push, and this time I made it.”

Career Statistics

Year Tm W L W-L% ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP BK WP WHIP
1991 BAL 4 5 0.444 2.87 12 12 2 0 0 87.2 77 31 28 7 21 52 1 1 3 1.118
1992 BAL 18 5 0.783 2.54 32 32 8 4 0 241 212 70 68 16 48 130 2 0 6 1.079
1993 BAL 14 6 0.7 4.46 25 25 3 2 0 167.2 163 84 83 20 44 117 3 0 5 1.235
1994 BAL 16 5 0.762 3.06 24 24 3 0 0 176.1 163 63 60 19 42 99 1 0 0 1.163
1995 BAL 19 9 0.679 3.29 32 32 7 4 0 221.2 187 86 81 24 50 158 1 0 2 1.069
1996 BAL 19 11 0.633 4.81 36 36 4 1 0 243.1 264 137 130 31 69 204 3 0 3 1.368
1997 BAL 15 8 0.652 3.2 33 33 4 1 0 224.2 197 87 80 27 54 218 3 0 5 1.117
1998 BAL 13 10 0.565 3.49 29 29 4 2 0 206.1 189 85 80 22 41 175 4 0 10 1.115
1999 BAL 18 7 0.72 3.5 31 31 4 0 0 203.1 207 88 79 16 52 172 1 0 2 1.274
2000 BAL 11 15 0.423 3.79 34 34 6 1 0 237.2 236 105 100 28 46 210 3 0 3 1.187
2001 NYY 17 11 0.607 3.15 34 34 4 3 0 228.2 202 87 80 20 42 214 4 0 6 1.067
2002 NYY 18 10 0.643 4.05 33 33 2 2 0 215.2 208 103 97 27 48 182 5 0 7 1.187
2003 NYY 17 8 0.68 3.4 31 31 2 1 0 214.2 192 86 81 21 40 195 3 0 4 1.081
2004 NYY 12 9 0.571 4.59 27 27 1 0 0 164.2 178 91 84 22 40 132 2 0 5 1.324
2005 NYY 13 8 0.619 4.41 30 30 2 2 0 179.2 199 93 88 23 47 142 7 0 2 1.369
2006 NYY 15 7 0.682 3.51 32 32 1 0 0 197.1 184 88 77 22 35 172 5 0 3 1.11
2007 NYY 11 10 0.524 5.15 28 27 0 0 0 152 188 90 87 14 35 91 4 0 1 1.467
2008 NYY 20 9 0.69 3.37 34 34 0 0 0 200.1 214 85 75 17 31 150 8 0 4 1.223

Roy Halladay

“Doc” Halladay was one of the best starting pitchers of his time. He played for the Toronto Blue Jays from 1998 – 2009 and the Philadelphia Phillies from 2010 – 2013. Halladay was selected to the All Star team 8 times throughout his MLB career (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011).

He earned the Cy Young Award twice (2003, 2010) and led the majors in wins twice as well in those Cy Young seasons of his. Halladay pitched a perfect game and was the only the second big leaguer to throw a no hitter in the postseason.

Tragically, he died in a private plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida on November 7, 2017. His wife, Brandy Halladay, gave his speech for him, and these are some of the things she had to say.

“This is not my speech to give,” Brandy explained. “I’m going to do the best I can to say the things I believe Roy might have said or would have wanted to say if he was here today.”

“I can’t tell you how many hugs I’ve gotten,” she mentioned. “To all your families who have extended so much love and friendship to myself and to my children, I’m so grateful. Thank you.”

“We are all imperfect and flawed in one way or another,” she goes on to say. “We all struggle. But with hard work, humility and dedication, imperfect people can still have perfect moments. Roy was blessed in his life and in his career to have some perfect moments. But I believe they were only possible because of the man he strived to be, the teammate he was and the people he was so blessed to be on the field with.”

Career Statistics

Year Tm W L W-L% ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP BK WP WHIP
1998 TOR 1 0 1 1.93 2 2 1 0 0 14 9 4 3 2 2 13 0 0 0 0.786
1999 TOR 8 7 0.533 3.92 36 18 1 1 1 149.1 156 76 65 19 79 82 4 0 6 1.574
2000 TOR 4 7 0.364 10.64 19 13 0 0 0 67.2 107 87 80 14 42 44 2 1 6 2.202
2001 TOR 5 3 0.625 3.16 17 16 1 1 0 105.1 97 41 37 3 25 96 1 1 4 1.158
2002 TOR 19 7 0.731 2.93 34 34 2 1 0 239.1 223 93 78 10 62 168 7 1 4 1.191
2003 TOR 22 7 0.759 3.25 36 36 9 2 0 266 253 111 96 26 32 204 9 1 6 1.071
2004 TOR 8 8 0.5 4.2 21 21 1 1 0 133 140 66 62 13 39 95 1 2 2 1.346
2005 TOR 12 4 0.75 2.41 19 19 5 2 0 141.2 118 39 38 11 18 108 7 1 2 0.96
2006 TOR 16 5 0.762 3.19 32 32 4 0 0 220 208 82 78 19 34 132 5 0 3 1.1
2007 TOR 16 7 0.696 3.71 31 31 7 1 0 225.1 232 101 93 15 48 139 3 0 4 1.243
2008 TOR 20 11 0.645 2.78 34 33 9 2 0 246 220 88 76 18 39 206 12 0 4 1.053
2009 TOR 17 10 0.63 2.79 32 32 9 4 0 239 234 82 74 22 35 208 5 0 2 1.126
2010 PHI 21 10 0.677 2.44 33 33 9 4 0 250.2 231 74 68 24 30 219 6 1 5 1.041
2011 PHI 19 6 0.76 2.35 32 32 8 1 0 233.2 208 65 61 10 35 220 4 1 2 1.04
2012 PHI 11 8 0.579 4.49 25 25 0 0 0 156.1 155 78 78 18 36 132 5 0 2 1.222
2013 PHI 4 5 0.444 6.82 13 13 1 0 0 62 55 48 47 12 36 51 10 0 4 1.468

Harold Baines

Baines was an outstanding hitter during his playing days. He played right field or was in the lineup as the designated hitter as he played exclusively in the American League for a handful of different organizations over his 21-year MLB career. Baines Played for the Chicago White Sox, the Texas Rangers, the Oakland A’s, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Cleveland Indians. Some teams he played with for multiple stints.

He was a 6-time MLB All Star (1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1999). He won the Silver Slugger Award in 1989. The Chicago White Sox /online-gambling/sports-betting/eloy-jimenez-agrees-to-deal-with-white-sox retired his number 3, and he was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame. Baines won a World Series championship in 2005 as a coach of the White Sox.

“When you ask me why I never have been outspoken or said very much, think of my dad and the lesson he passed down to me many years ago, often as we were playing catch in the yard,” Baines stated. “As he taught me, words are easy. Deeds are hard. Words can be empty. Deeds speak louder, and sometimes they echo forever.”

“I’m not an emotional man,” said Baines, “except when it comes to family.”

Career Statistics

Year Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ HBP
1980 CHW 141 518 491 55 125 23 6 13 49 2 19 65 0.255 0.281 0.405 0.686 87 1
1981 CHW 82 296 280 42 80 11 7 10 41 6 12 41 0.286 0.318 0.482 0.8 131 2
1982 CHW 161 668 608 89 165 29 8 25 105 10 49 95 0.271 0.321 0.469 0.79 114 0
1983 CHW 156 655 596 76 167 33 2 20 99 7 49 85 0.28 0.333 0.443 0.776 109 1
1984 CHW 147 629 569 72 173 28 10 29 94 1 54 75 0.304 0.361 0.541 0.903 142 0
1985 CHW 160 693 640 86 198 29 3 22 113 1 42 89 0.309 0.348 0.467 0.815 118 1
1986 CHW 145 618 570 72 169 29 2 21 88 2 38 89 0.296 0.338 0.465 0.803 113 2
1987 CHW 132 554 505 59 148 26 4 20 93 0 46 82 0.293 0.352 0.479 0.831 116 1
1988 CHW 158 674 599 55 166 39 1 13 81 0 67 109 0.277 0.347 0.411 0.758 112 1
1989 TOT 146 583 505 73 156 29 1 16 72 0 73 79 0.309 0.395 0.465 0.86 144 1
1989 CHW 96 397 333 55 107 20 1 13 56 0 60 52 0.321 0.423 0.505 0.928 165 1
1989 TEX 50 186 172 18 49 9 0 3 16 0 13 27 0.285 0.333 0.39 0.723 102 0
1990 TOT 135 489 415 52 118 15 1 16 65 0 67 80 0.284 0.378 0.441 0.819 130 0
1990 TEX 103 371 321 41 93 10 1 13 44 0 47 63 0.29 0.377 0.449 0.826 131 0
1990 OAK 32 118 94 11 25 5 0 3 21 0 20 17 0.266 0.381 0.415 0.796 128 0
1991 OAK 141 566 488 76 144 25 1 20 90 0 72 67 0.295 0.383 0.473 0.857 143 1
1992 OAK 140 543 478 58 121 18 0 16 76 1 59 61 0.253 0.331 0.391 0.723 108 0
1993 BAL 118 480 416 64 130 22 0 20 78 0 57 52 0.313 0.39 0.51 0.9 137 0
1994 BAL 94 357 326 44 96 12 1 16 54 0 30 49 0.294 0.356 0.485 0.84 111 1
1995 BAL 127 459 385 60 115 19 1 24 63 0 70 45 0.299 0.403 0.54 0.943 142 0
1996 CHW 143 572 495 80 154 29 0 22 95 3 73 62 0.311 0.399 0.503 0.902 132 1
1997 TOT 137 510 452 55 136 23 0 16 67 0 55 62 0.301 0.375 0.458 0.832 120 0
1997 CHW 93 361 318 40 97 18 0 12 52 0 41 47 0.305 0.382 0.475 0.857 127 0
1997 BAL 44 149 134 15 39 5 0 4 15 0 14 15 0.291 0.356 0.418 0.774 104 0
1998 BAL 104 328 293 40 88 17 0 9 57 0 32 40 0.3 0.369 0.451 0.819 114 1
1999 TOT 135 486 430 62 134 18 1 25 103 1 54 48 0.312 0.387 0.533 0.919 136 0
1999 BAL 107 390 345 57 111 16 1 24 81 1 43 38 0.322 0.395 0.583 0.977 151 0
1999 CLE 28 96 85 5 23 2 0 1 22 0 11 10 0.271 0.354 0.329 0.684 75 0
2000 TOT 96 320 283 26 72 13 0 11 39 0 36 50 0.254 0.338 0.417 0.754 93 0
2000 BAL 72 252 222 24 59 8 0 10 30 0 29 39 0.266 0.349 0.437 0.786 103 0
2000 CHW 24 68 61 2 13 5 0 1 9 0 7 11 0.213 0.294 0.344 0.638 60 0
2001 CHW 32 94 84 3 11 1 0 0 6 0 8 16 0.131 0.202 0.143 0.345 -8 0

Edgar Martinez

Martinez played his entire MLB career for the Seattle Mariners (1987 – 2004). He is a seven time All Star (1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003) and a five time Silver Slugger Award winner (1992, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003). In 2004, Martinez won the Roberto Clemente Award.

He was the American League batting champion twice (1992, 1995) as well as the American League RBI leader in 2000. The Seattle Mariners retired his number 11 and put him in their Hall of Fame too.

“I am so fortunate to have two homes, Puerto Rico and Seattle,” says Martinez. “Seattle fans, thank you for always being there for me. Since 1997, you gave me your unconditional support, and it was even more prevalent over the last 10 years. The support you gave me over social media helped me get here today.”

Career Statistics

Year Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS HBP
1987 SEA 13 46 43 6 16 5 2 0 5 0 2 5 0.372 0.413 0.581 0.994 1
1988 SEA 14 38 32 0 9 4 0 0 5 0 4 7 0.281 0.351 0.406 0.758 0
1989 SEA 65 196 171 20 41 5 0 2 20 2 17 26 0.24 0.314 0.304 0.619 3
1990 SEA 144 572 487 71 147 27 2 11 49 1 74 62 0.302 0.397 0.433 0.83 5
1991 SEA 150 642 544 98 167 35 1 14 52 0 84 72 0.307 0.405 0.452 0.857 8
1992 SEA 135 592 528 100 181 46 3 18 73 14 54 61 0.343 0.404 0.544 0.948 4
1993 SEA 42 165 135 20 32 7 0 4 13 0 28 19 0.237 0.366 0.378 0.744 0
1994 SEA 89 387 326 47 93 23 1 13 51 6 53 42 0.285 0.387 0.482 0.869 3
1995 SEA 145 639 511 121 182 52 0 29 113 4 116 87 0.356 0.479 0.628 1.107 8
1996 SEA 139 634 499 121 163 52 2 26 103 3 123 84 0.327 0.464 0.595 1.059 8
1997 SEA 155 678 542 104 179 35 1 28 108 2 119 86 0.33 0.456 0.554 1.009 11
1998 SEA 154 672 556 86 179 46 1 29 102 1 106 96 0.322 0.429 0.565 0.993 3
1999 SEA 142 608 502 86 169 35 1 24 86 7 97 99 0.337 0.447 0.554 1.001 6
2000 SEA 153 665 556 100 180 31 0 37 145 3 96 95 0.324 0.423 0.579 1.002 5
2001 SEA 132 581 470 80 144 40 1 23 116 4 93 90 0.306 0.423 0.543 0.966 9
2002 SEA 97 407 328 42 91 23 0 15 59 1 67 69 0.277 0.403 0.485 0.888 6
2003 SEA 145 603 497 72 146 25 0 24 98 0 92 95 0.294 0.406 0.489 0.895 7
2004 SEA 141 549 486 45 128 23 0 12 63 1 58 107 0.263 0.342 0.385 0.727 2

Lee Smith

Smith was an outstanding relief pitcher that played for eight different teams throughout his illustrious career. His primary team was the Chicago Cubs (1980 – 1987, but he also played for the Boston Red Sox (1988 – 1990), the St. Louis Cardinals (1990 – 1993), the New York Yankees (1993), the Baltimore Orioles (1994), the California Angels (1995 – 1996), the Cincinnati Reds (1996), and the Montreal Expos (1997).

Smith was a seven-time All Star (1983, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995). He won the Rolaids Relief Man Award three times (1991, 1992, 1994). He was the MLB saves leader four times (1983, 1991, 1992, 1994).

“If you think Cooperstown is small,” Smith goes on to say, “you’ve never been to Castor.”

“It was community that gave me the chance to play baseball,” he explained about Chicago.

“From the fire department across the street to the grounds crew on the field,” he added, “to me, it really was ‘The Friendly Confines.’”

“Loyalty to the team and my teammates… And dependability as a teammate and as a pitcher.”

Career Statistics

Year Tm W L W-L% ERA G GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP BK WP WHIP
1980 CHC 2 0 1 2.91 18 6 0 0 0 21.2 21 9 7 0 14 17 0 0 0 1.615
1981 CHC 3 6 0.333 3.51 40 12 0 0 1 66.2 57 31 26 2 31 50 1 1 7 1.32
1982 CHC 2 5 0.286 2.69 72 38 0 0 17 117 105 38 35 5 37 99 3 1 6 1.214
1983 CHC 4 10 0.286 1.65 66 56 0 0 29 103.1 70 23 19 5 41 91 1 2 5 1.074
1984 CHC 9 7 0.563 3.65 69 59 0 0 33 101 98 42 41 6 35 86 0 0 6 1.317
1985 CHC 7 4 0.636 3.04 65 57 0 0 33 97.2 87 35 33 9 32 112 1 0 4 1.218
1986 CHC 9 9 0.5 3.09 66 59 0 0 31 90.1 69 32 31 7 42 93 0 0 2 1.229
1987 CHC 4 10 0.286 3.12 62 55 0 0 36 83.2 84 30 29 4 32 96 0 0 4 1.386
1988 BOS 4 5 0.444 2.8 64 57 0 0 29 83.2 72 34 26 7 37 96 1 0 2 1.303
1989 BOS 6 1 0.857 3.57 64 50 0 0 25 70.2 53 30 28 6 33 96 0 0 1 1.217
1990 TOT 5 5 0.5 2.06 64 53 0 0 31 83 71 24 19 3 29 87 0 0 2 1.205
1990 BOS 2 1 0.667 1.88 11 8 0 0 4 14.1 13 4 3 0 9 17 0 0 1 1.535
1990 STL 3 4 0.429 2.1 53 45 0 0 27 68.2 58 20 16 3 20 70 0 0 1 1.136
1991 STL 6 3 0.667 2.34 67 61 0 0 47 73 70 19 19 5 13 67 0 0 1 1.137
1992 STL 4 9 0.308 3.12 70 55 0 0 43 75 62 28 26 4 26 60 0 0 2 1.173
1993 TOT 2 4 0.333 3.88 63 56 0 0 46 58 53 25 25 11 14 60 0 0 1 1.155
1993 STL 2 4 0.333 4.5 55 48 0 0 43 50 49 25 25 11 9 49 0 0 1 1.16
1993 NYY 0 0   0 8 8 0 0 3 8 4 0 0 0 5 11 0 0 0 1.125
1994 BAL 1 4 0.2 3.29 41 39 0 0 33 38.1 34 16 14 6 11 42 0 0 0 1.174
1995 CAL 0 5 0 3.47 52 51 0 0 37 49.1 42 19 19 3 25 43 1 0 1 1.358
1996 TOT 3 4 0.429 3.74 54 24 0 0 2 55.1 57 24 23 4 26 41 1 0 3 1.5
1996 CAL 0 0   2.45 11 8 0 0 0 11 8 4 3 0 3 6 0 0 1 1
1996 CIN 3 4 0.429 4.06 43 16 0 0 2 44.1 49 20 20 4 23 35 1 0 2 1.624
1997 MON 0 1 0 5.82 25 14 0 0 5 21.2 28 16 14 2 8 15 1 0 0 1.662

Mariano Rivera

The amazing Rivera was the closer for the New York Yankees from 1995 – 2013. He was an unbelievable thirteen time All Star (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013). He was a five time World Series champion (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009). Mariano was the MVP of the World Series in 1999, and he was the ALCS MVP in 2003. He is simply known as the best relief pitcher ever to have played.

Rivera was the Rolaids Relief Man Award winner 5 times (1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2009). Three times he was the Delivery Man of the Year (2005, 2006, 2009). In 2013, he was the American League Comeback Player of the Year. He led the majors in saves three times (1999, 2001, 2004). He holds the MLB record for most career saves with 652 of them. The New York Yankees have retired his number 42 and he is a Monument Park honoree in Yankee Stadium.

“I don’t understand why I always have to be the last,” Rivera said jokingly. “[But] I guess being the last one was special.”

“Man, I’m sorry about that,” he says about missing his son’s birthdays. “I’m sorry. I was on a mission. We celebrate later on.”

“It’s a of privilege and an honor to just be a part one organization,” Rivera explained. “I did it with dignity, honor and pride. I tried to carry the pinstripes the best I could. I think I did all right with that.”

Career Statistics

Year Tm W L W-L% ERA G GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP BK WP WHIP
1995 NYY 5 3 0.625 5.51 19 2 0 0 0 67 71 43 41 11 30 51 2 1 0 1.507
1996 NYY 8 3 0.727 2.09 61 14 0 0 5 107.2 73 25 25 1 34 130 2 0 1 0.994
1997 NYY 6 4 0.6 1.88 66 56 0 0 43 71.2 65 17 15 5 20 68 0 0 2 1.186
1998 NYY 3 0 1 1.91 54 49 0 0 36 61.1 48 13 13 3 17 36 1 0 0 1.06
1999 NYY 4 3 0.571 1.83 66 63 0 0 45 69 43 15 14 2 18 52 3 1 2 0.884
2000 NYY 7 4 0.636 2.85 66 61 0 0 36 75.2 58 26 24 4 25 58 0 0 2 1.097
2001 NYY 4 6 0.4 2.34 71 66 0 0 50 80.2 61 24 21 5 12 83 1 0 1 0.905
2002 NYY 1 4 0.2 2.74 45 37 0 0 28 46 35 16 14 3 11 41 2 1 1 1
2003 NYY 5 2 0.714 1.66 64 57 0 0 40 70.2 61 15 13 3 10 63 4 0 0 1.005
2004 NYY 4 2 0.667 1.94 74 69 0 0 53 78.2 65 17 17 3 20 66 5 0 0 1.081
2005 NYY 7 4 0.636 1.38 71 67 0 0 43 78.1 50 18 12 2 18 80 4 0 0 0.868
2006 NYY 5 5 0.5 1.8 63 59 0 0 34 75 61 16 15 3 11 55 5 0 0 0.96
2007 NYY 3 4 0.429 3.15 67 59 0 0 30 71.1 68 25 25 4 12 74 6 0 1 1.121
2008 NYY 6 5 0.545 1.4 64 60 0 0 39 70.2 41 11 11 4 6 77 2 0 1 0.665
2009 NYY 3 3 0.5 1.76 66 55 0 0 44 66.1 48 14 13 7 12 72 1 0 1 0.905
2010 NYY 3 3 0.5 1.8 61 55 0 0 33 60 39 14 12 2 11 45 5 0 0 0.833
2011 NYY 1 2 0.333 1.91 64 54 0 0 44 61.1 47 13 13 3 8 60 2 0 1 0.897
2012 NYY 1 1 0.5 2.16 9 9 0 0 5 8.1 6 2 2 0 2 8 0 0 0 0.96
2013 NYY 6 2 0.75 2.11 64 60 0 0 44 64 58 16 15 6 9 54 1 0 0 1.047

Sources:

“Hall opens its doors for unforgettable '19 Class.”, Anthony Castrovince, mlb.com, July 21, 2019.

“Mike Mussina”, baseball-reference.com, July 22, 2019.

“Roy Halladay”, baseball-reference.com, July 22, 2019.

“Harold Baines”, baseball-reference.com, July 22, 2019.

“Edgar Martinez”, baseball-reference.com, July 22, 2019.

“Lee Smith”, baseball-reference.com, July 22, 2019.

“Mariano Rivera”, baseball-reference.com, July 22, 2019.

Written by: Michael Shackleford