Aces Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, both who played their best years together with the Atlanta Braves, and slugger Frank Thomas, each earned baseball immortality this week when they were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Maddux received one of the highest vote totals in history with 97.2 percent, while Glavine received 91.9 percent and Frank Thomas received 83.7 percent of voters’ ballots, all well above the 75 percent required.
Mets and Dodgers great Mike Piazza, baseball’s greatest hitting catcher of all-time, did not make it in his second ballot and former Houston Astros second baseball Craig Biggio came up just two votes short. Steroid-tainted legends Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens both received in the mid-30 percents. Statistically, Bonds and Clemens stand among the Top 10 hitters and pitchers of all-time, respectively, but their reputation as drug cheats precedes them.
Piazza never failed a drug test or faced accusations during his career, but has been smeared with post-career rumors that have held down his vote total. However, he did get to 62.2 percent, a good sign he will eventually make it in. Jack Morris missed the cut in his final year of eligibility, gaining just over 60 percent of ballots.
Entrance into the Hall of Fame is determined by lifetime members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. There also is a Veterans Committee that can allow in players who did not make the BBWAA cut.
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