COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) The Latest on the Baseball Hall of Fame Inductions (all times local):
—
2:35 p.m.
Mike Mussina has been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mussina, a right-hander who starred in college for Stanford, pitched for 18 major league seasons and spent his entire career in the high-scoring AL East with the Orioles and Yankees. A five-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner, he posted a record of 270-153, pitching 3,362 2/3 innings with 2,813 strikeouts, 785 walks and an ERA of 3.68. He also had 57 complete games in 536 starts and was the first AL pitcher to win at least 10 games 17 times.
Mussina thanked his wife and family, his mom, dad and brother Mark and the coaches who guided his career through the years.
”I spent a lot of time reflecting on my time in baseball,” said Mussina, the oldest first-time 20-game winner in MLB history when he reached the milestone at age 39 in 2008, his final season in the majors. ”I was never fortunate to win a Cy Young Award or be a World Series champion, win 300 games or strike out 3,000 hitters. My opportunities for those achievements are in the past. Today, I get to become a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. This time I made it.”
The late Frank Robinson and Willie McCovey were honored with a moment of silence before Mussina was introduced. The two Hall of Famers died since last year’s induction ceremony.
—
1:45 p.m.
The Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony has begun.
The 56 members are being introduced.
Former New York Yankees star Bernie Williams will perform ”The Star-Spangled Banner” and ”Take Me Out to the Ball Game” outside Clark Music Center in Cooperstown.
Williams played on four World Series championship teams for the Yankees and was a teammate of new inductees Mike Mussina and Mariano Rivera. Williams is a jazz guitarist who was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award for his 2009 album ”Moving Forward.” He discovered his passion for music at an early age in his native Puerto Rico.
More than 50 Hall of Famers will be on the dais to honor the Class of 2019.
First to be honored will be Mussina, while Rivera, the first unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame, will speak last.
—
11:15 a.m.
A large crowd is beginning to gather for Sunday’s Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown.
Local officials are predicting a crowd of at least 50,000, and despite sweltering heat, most spots in the field outside Clark Sports Center already have been staked out. Temperatures are predicted to climb into the mid-80s during the ceremony honoring the six new inductees, but a nice breeze has made it comfortable for the fans.
Relievers Mariano Rivera and Lee Smith, starters Mike Mussina and the late Roy Halladay and designated hitters Edgar Martinez and Harold Baines will be feted.
Rivera is the first player in history to be unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame. Former Yankees teammates Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are expected to be in the audience.
The ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m.
—
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
Add A Comment