The long wait for recognition in the Baseball Hall of Fame is finally over for Fred McGriff.
McGriff was unanimously elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame by vote by the Hall’s “Contemporary Era” committee, earning all 16 votes as others who left the writers’ ballot saw their support dwindle.
Yankees great Don Mattingly received eight votes and pitcher Curt Schilling seven, falling far short of the 12 needed for election. Two-time Atlanta Braves MVP Dale Murphy earned six votes.
But slugger Barry Bonds – a seven-time MVP – and pitcher Roger Clemens – a seven-time Cy Young Award winner – failed to collect at least four votes. That less than 25% support is a significant drop from the 66% and 65% of the votes that Bonds and Clemens received, respectively, from the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America in their last year on that ballot.
