Just a few short years ago, Major League Baseball (MLB) sluggers Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Jim Leyland (79), the famed manager who led the Miami Marlins to their first World Series title, was also inducted.
Beltre, Helton, Mauer, and Leland will be inducted into the 2024 Hall of Fame class on Feb. 22 in Cooperstown, New York.
They were joined by several other superstars already in the Hall of Fame and thousands of fans in attendance to celebrate their induction.
Previously, Beltre received an overwhelming 366 of 385 votes (95.1 percent) in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) balloting in January.
Beltre, who also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers, was a powerhouse hitter who batted .286 with 3,166 hits and 477 home runs in 21 seasons.
He also won five Gold Gloves at third base.
Helton received 307 votes (79.7%) and Mauer received 292 votes (76.1%), passing the 75% threshold.
In 17 seasons with the Colorado Rockies, Helton has a career batting average of .316 with 2,519 hits and 369 home runs.
Helton, whose career numbers were devalued by hitter-friendly ballparks, was elected to the Hall of Fame in six tries.
Mauer, who also played 15 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, made a name for himself as an offensive catcher, batting .306 with 2,123 hits and 143 home runs in his career.
The first catcher to win three batting titles, Mauer was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of voting alongside Beltre.
Leland, who led Team USA to its first World Baseball Classic (WBC) title in 2017, was selected for induction last December by a “committee of the ages” comprised of Hall of Fame inductees, former owners, journalists and others.
“I watched most of the Hall of Fame induction speeches, and I’m not the only one here who shed a tear,” the octogenarian joked, adding that being inducted into the Hall of Fame is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
And when Beltre, who said he had spent weeks preparing his speech, took the podium, his hometown friend and fellow 2022 Hall of Famer David Ortiz approached him from behind and playfully touched his head before running away.
During his playing days, Beltre had a strong dislike for other players touching his head. 메이저사이트